India rebukes EU & Pak over J&K reference in joint statement

NEW DELHI: The Indian govt has strongly rejected the reference to J&K in an EU-Pakistan joint statement, issued during EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’s visit to Islamabad this week, saying those who have no locus standi on such matters should desist from making any comment on them.

According to the joint statement, Pakistan and the EU briefed each other on J&K and Russia’s war against Ukraine, respectively, expressing support for peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with principles of the UN Charter.

“We categorically reject such unwarranted references in the joint press communique on matters internal to India. The UTs of J&K and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Kallas’s visit to Pakistan took place amid Islamabad’s ongoing efforts to play the peacemaker in the US-Iran conflict and also India’s own efforts to scale up ties with Brussels in past few years that culminated in India-EU free trade agreement. Apart from the US, European powers like France and Italy have backed Pakistan’s mediation efforts in West Asia.

Kallas described Pakistan as a major regional power and an important partner for EU.

“I commended Pakistan for its key role in facilitating the US-Iran talks,” said Kallas, who met both Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir.