India on Saturday categorically rejected the reference made to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement issued by Pakistan and China following diplomatic talks between the foreign ministries of the two countries. India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava held that the Union Territory was an “integral and inalienable” part of India and asked Beijing and Islamabad to not interfere in the country’s internal matters.
The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan held their second annual strategic dialogue on Friday, during which they discussed a host of bilateral and international issues, including the Kashmir dispute, progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Afghan peace process.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, China reiterated that the issue of Kashmir is “a dispute left over from history between India and Pakistan” and that the dispute should be resolved “peacefully and properly through the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements”, according to The Print.
However, in a statement released on Saturday night, Srivastava said that India “resolutely opposes actions by other countries that change the status quo in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir and call on the parties concerned to cease such actions”.
“At the same time we also reiterate our consistent position on the so-called ‘China Pakistan Economic Corridor’,” the statement said. “India has repeatedly conveyed its concerns to both China and to Pakistan on the projects in so called China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which are in the territory of India that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan.”
Tensions between India and China escalated after a clash between the two armies on June 15 in Ladakh led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and an unidentified number of Chinese soldiers. Several rounds of talks so far have failed to break the impasse. On August 21, the MEA said that India and China have agreed to resolve all outstanding problems in an “expeditious manner”, and in tune with the existing protocols.
New Delhi’s long-held position has been that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and there is no question of any mediation or intervention by any third party. But Pakistan wants the UN to play a role in resolving the issue and has repeatedly tried seeking the world body’s intervention.
Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Council discussed Kashmir at Pakistan’s request for the third time since the Centre decided to end the Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 a year ago. The meeting was convened by China.
The Security Council did not take any action or issue a statement after the virtual meeting behind closed doors. However, Indian diplomat TS Tirumurti said Pakistan’s attempt to internationalise the Kashmir dispute had once again “come to naught”. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi meanwhile, claimed the meeting was a mark of solidarity of the international community with the people of “Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir subjected to a savage military siege”.
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