Islamabad (The COW News Digital )Pakistan has firmly rejected what it described as India’s baseless claims concerning the status and territorial representation of Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating that unilateral assertions cannot alter the internationally recognized disputed nature of the region.
Foreign Office spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks while responding to media questions regarding a statement issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs concerning the map of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.
The spokesperson said Pakistan categorically rejects India’s claims regarding Jammu and Kashmir, maintaining that such assertions contradict what Pakistan describes as internationally recognized facts. He said India’s unilateral measures and continued control over parts of the region could not change its internationally acknowledged disputed status.
According to the Foreign Office, the Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains one of the oldest unresolved issues on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. Pakistan reiterated its position that the dispute should ultimately be resolved in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
The spokesperson maintained that the applicable UN resolutions provide for determining the final status of Jammu and Kashmir through a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under UN auspices.
Pakistan also challenged the legal significance of maps issued by India, arguing that unilateral representations of sovereignty cannot independently determine the status of a disputed territory.
The Foreign Office further pointed to official United Nations maps that depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed region, describing them as an authoritative reflection of the territory’s current international status.
Pakistan urged the international community to ensure that human rights are protected in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and called for an end to what it described as violations against the local population.
Islamabad also called upon the international community to encourage implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and support what Pakistan considers the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
The latest statement comes amid continued disagreement between Pakistan and India over the status of Jammu and Kashmir, an issue that has remained a major source of tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbors for decades.
Pakistan has consistently maintained that the Kashmir dispute should be addressed through internationally recognized mechanisms, while India maintains its own position regarding the territory and rejects Pakistan’s characterization of the region.
