Countering India's objection to Jammu and Kashmir's reference during second round of China-Pakistan foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue, Islamabad on Sunday said that New Delhi's stand on the Union territory is a "laughable fiction, totally contrary to historical and legal facts".
"India has no locus standi on the issue – historical, legal or moral. The regurgitation of false claims by India can neither change facts nor divert attention from India's state-terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and its egregious violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people," Pakistan said in a statement.
It further said that Kashimiris should be allowed to exercise their right to "impartial plebiscite". "Rather than resorting to false and misleading assertions, India should faithfully implement its international obligations. India must let the Kashmiris exercise their inalienable right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations as enshrined in the relevant UNSC Resolutions," the statement read.
The reaction has come after external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava rejected China and Pakistan's discussion on J&K, saying that it was tantamount to interference in the country’s internal affairs.
"As in the past, we categorically reject the reference to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the joint press release of the 2nd round of China-Pakistan foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India and we expect the parties concerned not to interfere in matters that are internal affairs of India," he had said.
Srivastava also reiterated India’s opposition to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a key component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
"At the same time we also reiterate our consistent position on the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’. India has repeatedly conveyed its concerns to both China and to Pakistan on the projects in [the] so-called China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which are in the territory of India that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan," he said.
The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan held a strategic dialogue on Thursday during which they discussed bilateral cooperation in various fields, including the phase II of the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The BRI is a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by President Xi when he came to power in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes.
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