'Misleading and incorrect': India raises objection over New York Times 'Pakistani Kashmir' headline
PTC News Desk: India has objected to the use of the term "Pakistani Kashmir" by the The New York Times in the headline of a recent report on unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian Embassy in the United States issued a public statement, reiterating that the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, including PoK, is an integral part of India and that Pakistan is illegally occupying those territories.
The objection came after the newspaper published a report on clashes and local elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. According to the report, violence broke out in Mirpur after police clashed with members of the Joint Awami Action Committee, a civil rights group protesting alleged police excesses.
The report also said at least two people were killed in the violence and cited the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's demand for an independent investigation into the incident.
Responding to the report, the Indian Embassy criticised the newspaper's use of the term "Pakistani Kashmir" in its headline. The embassy said that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have always been, and will continue to remain, an integral and inalienable part of India. It also accused Pakistan of illegally occupying parts of these territories and using violence against people living there.
The newspaper further reported that weeks of unrest had left dozens dead and affected local elections in the region. It said the Joint Awami Action Committee claimed that several of its supporters were killed in clashes with police, although those claims could not be independently verified or officially confirmed.
India has consistently maintained at the United Nations and other international forums that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of the country, and that Pakistan's presence in parts of the region is due to illegal occupation.
- With inputs from agencies
