NEW DELHI, Sept 20 (NNN-BSS) – Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said Pakistan-administered Kashmir belongs to India and expected that India to have “physical jurisdiction over it one day”.
“Our position on Pakistan-administered Kashmir is, has always been and will always be very clear, it is part of India and we expect one day to have physical jurisdiction over it,” he said at a media interaction on 100 days on the government here.
Hours after Jaishankar’s statement, Pakistan strongly condemned and rejected the remarks saying “such irresponsible and belligerent statements have the potential to further escalate tensions and seriously jeopardize peace and security in the region’.
In a statement issued by Pakistan foreign ministry in Islamabad also called upon the international community to take serious cognizance of India’s “aggressive” posturing about taking ‘physical jurisdiction’ of AJK.
Earlier on different occasions, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister Jitendra Singh have made similar statements claiming that Pakistan-administered Kashmir is an integral part of India.
Speaking on the possibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Imran Khan meeting at the UN General Assembly session in New York later this month, Jaishankar told journalists “Just look at the climate of relations right now and that should give you the answer.”
He virtually ruled out dialogue with Pakistan on J & K issue until he said, it became a “normal nation”. In this connection, he said Article 370 is not a bilateral issue.
Tension between India and Pakistan intensified after the abrogation of article 370 that revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
Following India’s move on Kashmir, Pakistan had downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner. — NNN-BSS
