Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India, says MEA
India has categorically rejected the references to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement by China and Pakistan with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) describing it as "unwarranted".
 
The Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India, the MEA stated, adding that no other country had the locus standi to comment on it.
 
"We have noted unwarranted references to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir in the joint statement between China and Pakistan of June 7, 2024. We categorically reject such references," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to media queries on Thursday (June 13, 2024).
 
The joint statement was issued in Beijing following talks between Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
 
According to Jaiswal, India's position on the issue is consistent and well known to the concerned parties. "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. No other country has the locus standi to comment on the same," he stated.
 
The MEA Spokesperson also took strong objection to the joint statement's references to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
 
The same joint statement also mentions activities and projects under the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), some of which are in India's sovereign territory under forcible and illegal occupation by Pakistan, Jaiswal said. 
 
"We resolutely oppose and reject any moves by other countries to reinforce or legitimise Pakistan's illegal occupation of these territories, impinging on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," the MEA Spokesperson emphasised.