New Delhi: India on Tuesday strongly rejected references to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint press communique issued following the 8th round of the European Union-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, asserting that those with no “locus standi” on the matter should refrain from commenting on India’s internal affairs.
During the weekly media briefing, MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India categorically rejects such references.
Reiterating India’s long-standing position, the MEA spokesperson stressed that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India, further noting that individuals or entities with no standing in the matter should avoid making comments on issues that are entirely internal to India.
“We would like to say that we categorically reject such unwarranted references in the joint press communique on matters internal to India. The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India. Those who have no locus standi on such matters should desist from making any comment on them,” he stated.
This comes after a joint press communique issued following the dialogue between Pakistan and the EU on Monday, which stated that Islamabad briefed the European Delegation on Jammu and Kashmir, with the EU side briefing the Pakistani side on the Ukraine war.
“The Pakistani side briefed on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. The EU side briefed on Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the joint press communique read.
Last month, India strongly rejected references to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement issued by China and Pakistan, stating that “Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts” of the country, and no other country has the locus standi to comment on the same.
Responding to media queries on the references to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the Joint Statement between China and Pakistan, Jaiswal said India’s position is consistent and well known to the concerned parties.
“India categorically rejects unwarranted references to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the Joint Statement between China and Pakistan. India’s position is consistent and well-known to the concerned parties. 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.
He said India rejects any moves by other countries to reinforce Pakistan’s illegal occupation of territories concerning CPEC, impinging on India’s territorial integrity.
“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,” Jaiswal said.
“This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese authorities several times,” he added.He said India has never recognised the so-called 1963 boundary agreement.
“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 recognised the so-called 1963 boundary agreement between Pakistan and China,” Jaiswal said.
This comes in response to a statement released by Pakistan’s Foreign Office following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which stated that the Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the “latest developments” in Jammu and Kashmir.”The Chinese side reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is left over from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the U.N. Charter, relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements,” the statement read.
