New Delhi categorically rejects references to Jammu and Kashmir made in a joint statement by Pakistan and China and reiterates that the union territory is an integral and inalienable part of India, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th February, 2022) New Delhi categorically rejects references to Jammu and Kashmir made in a joint statement by Pakistan and China and reiterates that the union territory is an integral and inalienable part of India, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said on Wednesday.
The joint statement of China and Pakistan was issued on February 6, following Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. In the statement, China opposed what it said were "unilateral actions" in Jammu and Kashmir, apparently referring to India's 2019 decision to scrap the special status of the region, adding that the dispute should be resolved by diplomatic means.
"We reject reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India. We expect the parties concerned not to interfere in matters that are internal affairs of India," Bagchi said in a statement.
The spokesman also criticized references to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
"We have consistently conveyed our concerns to China and Pakistan on the projects in the so-called CPEC, which are in India's territory that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan. We resolutely oppose any attempts to change the status quo by other countries, as also by Pakistan, in the areas under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. We call upon the parties concerned to cease such activities," Bagchi said.
The CPEC is an infrastructure project worth $46 billion, funded by China, that aims to increase regional integration by connecting the Pakistani port city of Gwadar and China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region via transportation routes.
India and Pakistan have fought several wars over Kashmir since gaining independence in 1947. However, their ties hit rock bottom in 2019 after the Indian government stripped the Jammu and Kashmir state of its special status and broke it up into two union territories.
India controls the southern part of the Kashmir region, while Pakistan and China occupy its northwestern and northeastern parts, respectively.
