The Indian government has repeatedly asked Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation and it made this assertion to Islamabad last month as well. This was said by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
In a reply to a question, Sushma Swaraj said that India’s “consistent and principled” position is that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and shall be an integral part of India. “Pakistan has been in illegal occupation of approximately 78,000 sq km of Indian territory in the state of Jammu & Kashmir,” Sushma Swaraj added.
“Under the so-called ‘Boundary Agreement’ signed between China and Pakistan on March 2, 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq km of Indian territory in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to China,” she noted.
“We have repeatedly and consistently called upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation, most recently on November 30, 2018,” the External Affairs Minister said, without elaborating on where the issue was raised with Pakistan. “Pakistan continues to be in illegal and forcible occupation of a part of Jammu and Kashmir, she asserted.
Meanwhile, to another question in Lok Sabha on the number of incursions in Doklam during 2014-2018, MoS for External Affairs V K Singh said, “Doklam is part of the territory of Bhutan.” “Government regularly takes up any transgression along the Line of Actual Control with the Chinese side through established mechanisms as well as through diplomatic channels,” he added.
To a question on whether the Ministry of External Affairs or any other officials have any involvement or signed any agreement with the French government for the procurement of Rafale jets, VK Singh clearly said, “No”.
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