ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected what it described as India’s “baseless” claims regarding the status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating that the territory remains an internationally recognised dispute whose future cannot be determined through unilateral measures.
The Foreign Office said on Monday that Indian maps and assertions of sovereignty had no bearing on the legal status of the disputed territory.
“India’s so-called official maps and unilateral claims of sovereignty have no bearing on the status of the disputed territory,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said.
Islamabad maintains that the future of Jammu and Kashmir must be determined in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Pakistan and India have disputed Kashmir since independence in 1947 and have fought wars over the territory. Relations deteriorated further after New Delhi revoked the special constitutional status of Indian-administered Kashmir in August 2019.
India maintains that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and rejects outside involvement in the dispute, a position Pakistan contests.
The latest exchange underscores the continuing diplomatic confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours despite periodic calls for improved regional relations.