By Aminul Islam Mirja
NEW Delhi, Sept 10, 2019 (BSS) – India today rejected the reference made to
Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement issued after Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to Islamabad.
“We reject the reference to Jammu & Kashmir in the joint statement issued
by China and Pakistan after the recent visit of Chinese foreign minister. J&K
is an integral part of India,” Indian External Affairs Ministry’s
Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said here.
In response to a query, he said India has consistently expressed concerns
to both China and Pakistan on the projects in so-called “China Pakistan
Economic Corridor”, which is in the territory of India.
Speaking on issue, the spokesperson said the territory 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 the parties concerned to
cease such actions,” he said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was on a two-day visit to Pakistan
on Saturday and Sunday, had described the relationship between the China and
Pakistan as “rock-solid and unbreakable”.
Wang’s visit to Pakistan took place amidst fresh Indo-Pak tensions after
New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5.
During the visit, Pakistan and China exchanged views on the situation in
Jammu and Kashmir as the Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the
situation, including its concerns, position, and urgent humanitarian issues,
according to a joint statement issued after the meeting.
The Chinese side responded that it was paying close attention to the
current situation in Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated that the Kashmir issue
is a “dispute left from history” and should be properly and peacefully
resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions
and bilateral agreements.
“China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation”, the
statement said.
However, India has categorically told the international community that the
scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter of the country and also
advised Pakistan to accept the reality.