External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the Indian government had opposed Pakistan's move the very day it got to know Islamabad's plans
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asserted in Lok Sabha that both Houses of Parliament had passed resolutions which reiterated India’s claim over PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan, both under Pak occupation. Pic/PTI
New Delhi: India yesterday underlined its claim over territories of Jammu and Kashmir under Pakistani occupation amid moves by Islamabad to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as a new province.
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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asserted in the Lok Sabha that it would be wrong to think that India will let go of any part of its territory.
She made the statement after BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab wondered if the government has even properly responded to Pakistan's move to make Gilgit-Baltistan its fifth province.
In her response, Swaraj said the Indian government had opposed Pakistan's move the very day it got to know about it. "Even raising a doubt over this government that it will let go of some area will be wrong," the minister added. She noted that both Houses of Parliament had passed resolutions which had reiterated India's claim over the PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan, both under Pakistan's occupation, and the government was bound
by it.
She also quoted a BJP slogan which underlines India's claim over the territory and noted that its founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee had "sacrificed" his life over this. "We are bound by Parliament's resolutions and also our resolve," she said.
Separatists on statement
Separatists in Kashmir welcomed US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's statement that the Trump administration would try and "find its place" in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tension.
The statement of the American Ambassador to the UN is "encouraging" as Kashmir is a long standing political issue in the south Asian region, moderate Hurriyat faction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement.
JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who is at present under detention at Srinagar Central Jail, welcomed Haley's statement and said "peace and prosperity of south Asia is subservient to the resolution of Jammu Kashmir dispute".
"The Statement of United States envoy to UN is a welcome and appreciable step. Hope this statement will be translated into action," Malik said in a statement.
Farooq for stonepelters
Stone-pelting youth were not giving up their lives for tourism but for resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the wishes of its people, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said.
"If he (stone pelting youth) is giving up his life, he is not doing it for tourism. He is giving his life so that the destiny of this nation is decided which should be acceptable to the people of this place. This needs to be understood," Abdullah said at an election meeting in Sonawar constituency.
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