J&K our internal matter, stop commenting: India tells China, Pakistan

India has strongly objected to the reference of Jammu and Kashmir in a joint China-Pakistan declaration issued at the end of President Arif Alvi’s recent state visit to Beijing. “We reject the reference to Jammu & Kashmir in the joint statement issued by China and Pakistan after the recent visit of Pakistani President to China,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.“The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India. Issues related to J&K are an internal matter of India. We expect other countries, including China, not to comment on matters that are internal affairs of India and also to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity just as India refrains from commenting on internal issues of other countries,” he said.

He also reaffirmed India’s strong objection to the illegal activities being undertaken as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project in the Pakistan occupied territory (PoK) and urged them to cease all such works in the area. “India would like to strongly object to and reiterate its concerns to both China and Pakistan on the projects in so-called illegal “China Pakistan Economic Corridor”, which is in the territory of India that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947. India is resolutely opposed to any actions by other countries to change the status quo in Pakistan occupied J&K. We call on parties concerned to cease such actions. Such illegal activities will never be accepted by India,” the spokesperson said.

In the joint declaration on March 17 had stated that “The Chinese side underscored that it was paying close attention to the current situation and reiterated that the Kashmir issue was a dispute left from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.” It added that China “opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation” in Kashmir. The statement further said both sides had exchanged views on the situation in Kashmir, and the Pakistan side had briefed the Chinese side on the “latest developments, including its concerns, position, and current urgent issues”.

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