Rejecting China-Pakistan remarks on Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday asserted that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India and no other country has the locus standi to comment on the same”.
Earlier, the joint statement released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Islamabad had briefed China on developments in Jammu and Kashmir.
It stated that China described the issue as “left over from history” and said it should be resolved “peacefully in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.”
In response to media queries regarding unwarranted references to Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the Joint Statement between China and Pakistan, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in an official statement said, “India categorically rejects unwarranted references to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir in the Joint Statement between China and Pakistan.”
India’s position is consistent and well known to the concerned parties, the MEA spokesperson said.
“The Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India. No other country has the locus standi to comment on the same,” he said.
“As regards the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, some of which are in India’s sovereign territory, we resolutely oppose and reject any moves by other countries to reinforce or legitimise Pakistan’s illegal and forcible occupation of these territories, impinging on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese authorities several times,” the MEA spokesperson said.
“We have also seen references to the so-called ‘trans-boundary water resources cooperation’ between China and Pakistan. As the two countries do not share any boundary, the question of so-called ‘trans-boundary water resources cooperation’ does not arise. India has never recognized the so-called 1963 boundary agreement between Pakistan and China,” the statement added.