Pakistan has pushed back against India’s recent statements concerning the map of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region, describing New Delhi’s position as inconsistent with globally accepted facts.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said in an official statement that no unilateral move or continued occupation by India could change the internationally acknowledged disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir.
His comments were a direct response to an earlier statement from India’s foreign ministry, which had called on other countries to represent the disputed Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh regions according to India’s own official mapping.
FO Cites UN Maps in Kashmir Dispute
According to the spokesperson, maps issued by the United Nations, which classify Jammu and Kashmir as disputed territory, remain the sole accurate depiction of the region’s current legal standing.
Khan further stated that India’s self-declared official maps and its claims of sovereignty carry no weight over the actual legal status of the contested area.
He pointed out that the Jammu and Kashmir issue continues to stand as one of the longest-running disputes formally recognized by the United Nations Security Council. Khan noted that relevant UN resolutions require the matter’s ultimate resolution to reflect both Security Council directives and the wishes of the Kashmiri population, to be determined through a free and neutral plebiscite conducted under UN supervision.
The Foreign Office spokesperson also called on the global community to press India into ending human rights abuses in what Pakistan refers to as Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He urged India to honor its obligations toward granting the Kashmiri people their right to self-determination, consistent with existing UNSC resolutions.
Backdrop: UN Adopts New World Map
This exchange follows a separate development at the United Nations, where the General Assembly voted on September 4 to approve a new world map that enlarges Africa’s depicted size while reducing that of North America and Europe, a move that drew criticism from Washington.
Described as an effort to achieve a more precise representation of the world’s landmasses, the measure passed with backing from 164 nations, while the United States voted against it and six other countries chose to abstain.
The newly adopted map, referred to as the Equal Earth projection, is intended to improve the overall accuracy of how continents are visually represented on world maps, according to the resolution.