India lodges strong protest over Pakistan holding election in occupied Gilgit-Baltistan
The Ministry of External Affairs says the proposed election, scheduled for June 7, will be held in areas that are part of the Union Territory of Ladakh and are an integral part of India
India on Friday registered a strong protest with Pakistan over its decision to hold elections in the 'so-called' Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly which is part of India and remains under Pakistan’s illegal occupation.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the proposed election, scheduled for June 7, would be held in areas that are part of the Union Territory of Ladakh and are an integral part of India.
In a sharply-worded statement, the Indian government reiterated its long-standing position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, became an integral and inalienable part of India following the legal and irrevocable accession of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947.
The government also asserted that Pakistan’s attempts to conduct election in the region could not obscure what it described as “grave human rights violations, political repression, economic exploitation and denial of freedom” in the territories under its control.
The Ministry further rejected any effort by Islamabad to alter the status of areas under Pakistan’s occupation through political or administrative measures. “Such actions cannot hide the fact that Pakistan illegally remains in possession of Indian territories, which it must vacate,” the MEA said.
India has consistently opposed Pakistan’s moves to grant constitutional, political or administrative legitimacy to Gilgit-Baltistan, arguing that any such measures have no legal basis and violate India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The latest protest underscores the continuing dispute between the two neighbours over territories that formed part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
