‘Not guaranteed’: India rejects Jammu and Kashmir references in China-Pak joint statement | Today’s news

India on Tuesday strongly rejected the “unwarranted” mention of Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement issued by China and Pakistan, reiterating that the Union Territory and Ladakh “were, are and will remain” an integral part of the country and that no other nation has locus standi to comment on it.

India rejects unauthorized links

India’s position is consistent and well known to stakeholders, said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

“India categorically rejects the unauthorized references to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement between China and Pakistan,” he said.

J&K, Ladakh will always remain a part of India

The joint statement was issued during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to China.

“The Union Territory of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. No other country has the locus standi to comment on it,” Jaiswal said.

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India does not recognize the 1963 border agreement

India also criticized the mention of projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the joint statement, saying that Delhi rejects any move to strengthen or legitimize Islamabad’s illegal occupation of the territory.

“Regarding the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, some of which are in India’s sovereign territory, we categorically reject and reject any move by other countries to reinforce or legitimize Pakistan’s illegal and violent occupation of these territories, which violates India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

Jaiswal said this was clearly communicated to the Pakistani and Chinese authorities several times.

“We have also seen references to so-called ‘cross-border cooperation on water resources’ between China and Pakistan. Since the two countries do not share any borders, the question of so-called ‘cross-border cooperation on water resources’ does not arise,” he said.

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“India has never recognized the so-called border agreement of 1963 between Pakistan and China,” he added.

What the China-Pakistan joint statement said

Earlier, following Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif’s May 23-26 visit to China at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang, the two countries issued a joint statement on Tuesday.

The statement said that the Pakistani side informed the Chinese side about the latest developments in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

For its part, China reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is a thing of the past and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.

The two sides expressed their readiness to carry out cross-border cooperation on water resources based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit, it said, without elaborating on any details of the cooperation, as rivers originating in China and flowing into Pakistan pass through India.

India has kept the Indus Water Treaty on hold until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to end support for terrorism.

China reiterated its “unwavering support” for Pakistan in defending its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and firmly supported Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard its national security, stability, development and prosperity.

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Beijing and Islamabad also agreed to develop high-quality cooperation in the Belt and Road, hold a meeting of the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee and promote the high-quality development of the upgraded version of CPEC 2.0.

They agreed to advance the Karakoram Highway (Thakot-Raikot) realignment project in a phased and orderly manner and agreed to harness the potential of Gwadar Port and develop it into a regional connectivity hub.

Key things

• India maintains a firm stance on its territorial integrity regarding Jammu and Kashmir.
• The joint statement by China and Pakistan is seen as a violation of Indian sovereignty.
• India expresses strong opposition to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects that affect its territorial claims.