New Delhi (NVI): After the Imran Khan government announced the provisional provincial status for Gilgit-Baltistan, India today said that Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh, including the area of so called “Gilgit-Baltistan”, are an integral part of India by virtue of the legal, complete and irrevocable accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the Union of India in 1947.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava said, “The Government of Pakistan has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it.”
“The Government of India firmly rejects the attempt by Pakistan to bring material changes to a part of Indian territory, under its illegal and forcible occupation,” Srivastava added.
Lashing out at Pakistan, the MEA said that such attempts, intended to camouflage Pakistan’s illegal occupation, can’t hide grave human rights violations and denial of freedom for over seven decades to people residing in these Pakistan occupied territories.
“Instead of seeking to alter the status of these Indian territories, we call upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation,” he stated.
Amid massive protests, Pakistan PM said that the government has decided to grant Gilgit-Baltistan the provisional provincial status in line with the UNSC resolution.
-CHK
