India objects to Kashmir reference in China-Pak corridor statement

India on Tuesday rejected a reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a China-Pakistan joint statement and asserted that the whole state was an integral part of India.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that India is “resolutely opposed” to any actions by other countries to change the status quo in the region.

“We reject the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement issued by China and Pakistan after the recent visit of the Chinese foreign minister. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India,” he said, responding to a question on the issue.

“On the other hand, India has consistently expressed concerns to both China and Pakistan on the projects in so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is in the territory of India that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947,” he said. Kumar said the parties concerned should cease such actions.

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The reference was made during a joint statement after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Islamabad in connection with the China-Pakistan economic corridor in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan assured China of Pakistan’s commitment to timely completion of projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and hoped that more Chinese companies would make investments in the country, according to a report in Pakistani newspaper Dawn.

Apart from highlighting the importance of speedy execution of the projects, Khan had also briefed Wang Yi about the situation in Kashmir following the abrogation of special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, the report said.