India on Thursday asked China to stop commenting on India’s internal affairs after it opposed the bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir into two union territories.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar lashed out at China for calling India’s action in Jammu and Kashmir “unlawful and void”.
“The matter of reorganization of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is entirely an internal affair of India,” Kumar said.
“We do not expect other countries, including China, to comment on the matters which are internal to India,” the MEA spokesperson added.
He also said that China is well aware of India’s consistent and clear position on this issue.
Kumar also hit out at China by claiming that the country still occupies a large area of the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
He also claimed that China has illegally acquired Indian territories from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“China continues to be in occupation of a large tract of the area in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh,” Kumar said.
“It has also illegally acquired Indian territories from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963,” he reiterated.
China on Thursday objected the establishment of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
By revoking Article 370 the Centre on August 5 split Jammu & Kashmir into two UTs- Jammu& Kashmir and Ladhak.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Gen Shuang on Thursday said that the decision of bifurcation also challenged China’s sovereignty.
“The Indian government officially announced the establishment of so-called Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories which included some of China’s territory into its administrative jurisdiction,” Shuang added.