New Delhi: India on Friday strongly objected to Pakistan’s decision to hold elections for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, asserting that the region is an integral part of India and remains under Pakistan’s illegal occupation.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the proposed elections, scheduled for June 7, are being conducted in territories that form part of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Reiterating India’s long-standing position, the government stated that the entire territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, legally and irrevocably acceded to India in 1947 following the accession of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The MEA said Pakistan’s attempt to conduct elections in the region does not alter the ground reality and cannot legitimise what India considers its continued illegal occupation of the territory.
In a sharply worded response, India also accused Pakistan of trying to mask what it described as serious issues in the region, including human rights violations, political repression, economic exploitation and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
“The holding of such elections cannot hide the reality of Pakistan’s illegal occupation of Indian territory,” the ministry said, while rejecting any effort by Islamabad to change the status of the region through political, constitutional or administrative measures.
India further maintained that Pakistan has no legal authority over Gilgit-Baltistan and reiterated its demand that Islamabad vacate all territories under its control that belong to India.
New Delhi has consistently opposed Pakistan’s attempts over the years to grant greater constitutional or administrative status to Gilgit-Baltistan, arguing that such measures violate India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The latest diplomatic protest comes amid continuing tensions between the two countries over territories that were part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir and remain at the centre of the long-standing India-Pakistan dispute.
