India on Tuesday rejected a reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement by Pakistan and the European Union (EU), with the external affairs ministry saying the region is an “inalienable part” of the country and urging those with “no locus standi” to refrain from commenting on such matters.
A joint press communique issued after a strategic dialogue between EU foreign and security policy chief Kaja Kallas and Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on Monday had contained a reference to the “issue of Jammu and Kashmir” and “Russia’s war against Ukraine” in the same paragraph, and both sides backed the “resolution of conflicts” through dialogue and diplomacy.
When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the joint statement at a regular media briefing, he replied that New Delhi categorically rejects such “unwarranted references…on matters internal to India”.
“The union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India. Those who have no locus standi on such matters should desist from making any comment on them,” Jaiswal said.
The joint press communique issued after the 8th Pakistan-EU strategic dialogue stated that the Pakistani side briefed the EU delegation on the “issue of Jammu and Kashmir”. The EU side also briefed Pakistan on “Russia’s war against Ukraine”.
{{/usCountry}}The joint press communique issued after the 8th Pakistan-EU strategic dialogue stated that the Pakistani side briefed the EU delegation on the “issue of Jammu and Kashmir”. The EU side also briefed Pakistan on “Russia’s war against Ukraine”.
{{/usCountry}}“Both sides expressed support to peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter,” the joint communique said.
At a media briefing along with Dar, Kallas described Pakistan as a “major regional power” and “an important partner” for the EU.
The reference to Jammu and Kashmir did not go down well in New Delhi, with former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal saying on social media that the paragraph in question sought to establish an “equivalence” between the issues of Jammu and Kashmir and Ukraine. He said the EU had apparently described Jammu and Kashmir as a “conflict”, which is “Pakistan’s formulation”.
India has traditionally bristled at any reference to Kashmir in official documents issued by Pakistan, and it says the Kashmir issue has been settled with the scrapping of the region’s special status in August 2019.