Pakistan responds to Indian objections on Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Wednesday strongly responded to Indian government’s objections over references made to the disputed territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement between Pakistan and China.

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The Foreign Office Spokesperson said that India lacks the authority to contest the content of the Pakistan-China joint statement issued on June 8 in Beijing.

In its official statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that Jammu and Kashmir is internationally recognised as a disputed territory, a designation that the United Nations Security Council has upheld for more than seventy years.

The Foreign Office spokesperson stated that according to relevant Security Council resolutions, a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations should determine the final resolution of the status of Jammu and Kashmir, reflecting the will of the Kashmiri people.

The controversy arose after India rejected what it termed as “unwarranted” references to Jammu and Kashmir in the Pakistan-China joint statement. Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India and criticised any attempt to legitimise what India considers as Pakistan’s illegal occupation of its territories.

Pakistan responded by dismissing India’s objections, stating that Indian claims over Jammu and Kashmir are baseless and misplaced.

The Foreign Office spokesperson further advised India to refrain from misleading the international community regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The spokesperson said that CPEC is a mutually agreed-upon project between two sovereign nations and urged India instead to implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions concerning Jammu and Kashmir.

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The joint statement issued on June 8 during talks between Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and China’s Premier Li Qiang in Beijing included discussions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. The statement highlighted China’s stance that the issue is a historical leftover that should be resolved peacefully and properly.