ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected India’s latest assertions concerning the status of Jammu and Kashmir, describing them as unfounded and inconsistent with the territory’s internationally recognised disputed status.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks while responding to media questions about a statement issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs concerning the map of the disputed region.
The spokesperson said India’s unilateral measures and continued occupation could not change the legal or internationally recognised character of the Kashmir dispute.
He noted that the Jammu and Kashmir issue remains one of the oldest unresolved disputes on the United Nations Security Council’s agenda, adding that relevant UN resolutions provide for the territory’s final disposition in accordance with the will of its people.
According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, that will is to be determined through a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under UN auspices.
Pakistan cites UN maps
Ambassador Khan said official United Nations maps, which identify Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory, represent the appropriate cartographic depiction of its current status.
He rejected India’s official maps and unilateral claims of sovereignty, saying such measures could not independently determine the status of a disputed territory.
Pakistan also called on the international community to press India to end what it described as human rights violations in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
The spokesperson further urged India to honour its commitments concerning the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
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