Pakistan Rejects India’s Jammu and Kashmir Claims, Reaffirms UN-Based Position
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Pakistan has rejected what it described as “baseless” Indian claims regarding Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating that Islamabad considers the territory an internationally recognised dispute whose final status should be determined in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
In a statement reported on Monday, the Foreign Office said India’s assertions were contrary to what Pakistan described as internationally recognised facts surrounding the longstanding dispute.
Islamabad maintained that unilateral statements or official maps could not change the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has consistently argued that the issue should be resolved through implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions providing for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
The latest response is consistent with Pakistan’s position reiterated by the Foreign Office only days earlier.
At a September 2 press briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson said there had been “absolutely no change” in Pakistan’s policy on Jammu and Kashmir. The spokesperson said Islamabad’s position remained anchored in UN Security Council resolutions, international law and the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan also says it continues to raise the Kashmir issue during diplomatic engagements and at international forums. The Foreign Office said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior Pakistani officials had discussed the issue during recent international meetings.
Pakistan and India Remain Divided Over Kashmir
Pakistan and India have fundamentally different positions on Jammu and Kashmir.
India maintains that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and rejects third-party involvement in the dispute. Pakistan disputes that position and argues that the territory’s final status remains unresolved under the relevant UN framework.
Islamabad has also repeatedly criticised India’s actions in Indian-administered Kashmir since August 5, 2019, when New Delhi revoked the region’s special constitutional status and reorganised the former state into two federally administered territories.
Pakistan has called for those measures to be reversed and continues to demand implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir. In a June statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said a durable settlement required allowing Kashmiris to exercise their right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices.
India rejects Pakistan’s characterisation of its administration of the territory and maintains that issues involving Jammu and Kashmir are internal matters, while bilateral questions with Pakistan should be handled between the two countries.
Kashmir Remains Central to Pakistan-India Relations
The dispute has remained one of the most persistent sources of tension between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours.
Pakistan’s latest statement signals that despite evolving regional security and diplomatic developments, Islamabad does not intend to alter its longstanding Kashmir policy.
The Foreign Office’s recent statements have also emphasised that Pakistan intends to continue raising the issue internationally, including through engagement with the United Nations and other diplomatic forums.
No indication has emerged from either side of an immediate diplomatic initiative capable of resolving their fundamental differences over the territory.
