News
Gilgit-Baltistan Elections Draw Strong Objection from New Delhi
India has lodged a strong diplomatic protest against Pakistan’s decision to hold elections for the so-called Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, reiterating that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, are integral parts of India.
India on Friday strongly objected to Pakistan’s plans to conduct elections for the so-called Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, scheduled for June 7, asserting that the region forms an integral and inalienable part of Indian territory.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated India’s long-standing position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the region referred to as Gilgit-Baltistan, legally belong to India following the accession of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947.
The ministry said India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan regarding the proposed elections and categorically rejected any attempts to alter the status of territories that New Delhi considers to be under Pakistan’s illegal occupation.
According to the statement, such political exercises cannot change the reality of what India describes as Pakistan’s unlawful occupation of parts of the former princely state.
India also stated that the elections and related political processes cannot obscure concerns regarding alleged human rights violations, political repression, economic exploitation, and restrictions on freedoms in the region.
The government emphasized that any efforts by Pakistan to introduce administrative or political changes in the area lack legal validity from India’s perspective.
New Delhi further reiterated its demand that Pakistan vacate territories that India considers to be under its illegal occupation.
The issue of Gilgit-Baltistan remains a longstanding point of contention between India and Pakistan, with both countries maintaining differing claims over the broader Jammu and Kashmir region.
India has consistently objected to political, administrative, and developmental measures undertaken by Pakistan in Gilgit-Baltistan, arguing that such actions infringe upon its sovereignty and territorial integrity.