Respect sovereignty: India slams China-Pak for reference to J&K in joint statement

New Delhi, Mar 17: India on Tuesday slammed China and Pakistan for reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement released by them and said it expects other countries not to comment on its internal matters and respect its sovereignty.

The Kashmir issue figured in the talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi in Beijing on Tuesday during which the Chinese side "underscored that it was paying close attention to the current situation".

"Both sides exchanged views on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistan side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments, including its concerns, position, and current urgent issues," said a joint statement posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

Reacting to it, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar asserted that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and issues related to it are the country's internal matter.

"We reject the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement issued by China and Pakistan after the recent visit of Pakistani President to China," Kumar said.

"We expect other countries, including China, not to comment on matters that are internal affairs of India and also to respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity just as India refrains from commenting on internal issues of other countries," he said in response to a query on the issue.

India would like to strongly object to and reiterate its concerns to both China and Pakistan on the projects in so-called illegal 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is in the territory of India that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947, Kumar said.

"India is resolutely opposed to any actions by other countries to change the status quo in Pakistan occupied J&K. We call on parties concerned to cease such actions. Such illegal activities will never be accepted by India," he said.