India rejects ‘unwarranted’ references to Jammu & Kashmir in China-Pakistan joint statement

India on Tuesday categorically rejected what it called “unwarranted references” to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement issued by China and Pakistan.

The statement had been issued on Monday after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif concluded a three-day visit to China.

It stated that Pakistan had briefed China on the latest developments in Jammu and Kashmir, while Beijing said the “dispute is left over from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved” in accordance with the United Nations Charter, UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.

In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that New Delhi’s position was “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,” stated the ministry. “No other country has the locus standi to comment on the same.”

The foreign ministry also rejected references related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying some of the projects 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,” it added.

The ministry said that this position has been conveyed to the authorities in Pakistan and China...

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