'Illegal': India's Response To J&K References In China-Pak Joint Statement

New Delhi has strongly rejected the "unwarranted references" to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh made in a joint statement issued by the Pakistan-China joint statement, saying the Union Territories "have been, are and will" always remain "integral and inalienable parts" of India.

Parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh are illegally claimed by Pakistan and China.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry stressed that India's position on Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh remains "consistent and well known" to the concerned parties and that no other country has locus standi to comment on it.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also criticised the mentioning of projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), some of which are in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and said that New Delhi "opposes and rejects" Islamabad's “illegal and forcible occupation of India's sovereign territory".

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"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. 

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Stressing that New Delhi has never recognised the 1963 boundary agreement between Pakistan and China, Jaiswal said, "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 'transboundary water resources cooperation' does not arise."

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The Controversial Joint Statement

India's strong remarks came in response to a joint statement released by Islamabad and Beijing during Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's recent visit to China. The statement claimed that Pakistan briefed the Chinese side on the "latest developments" in Jammu and Kashmir. In response, the Chinese side called the issue of illegal occupation of Indian territory by Pakistan a "dispute" "left over from history". 

The statement claimed the Kashmir issue should be "properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the U.N. Charter, relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements".