India Slams Pakistan's Attempts To "Bring Material Change" In PoK

India reacted to Pak top court order allowing its government to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan

India has strongly protested efforts by Pakistan to "bring material change in Pakistan occupied territories" in Jammu and Kashmir and said Islamabad must "immediately vacate them", after an order by the country's Supreme Court on Gilgit-Baltistan. 

India delivered a demarche today to a senior Pakistan diplomat conveying that "the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India" by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession.

Pakistan's government or its judiciary has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it, New Delhi said.

"India completely rejects such actions and continued attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied areas of the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Instead, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation," said India in its note.

"Such actions can neither hide the illegal occupation of parts of Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh by Pakistan nor the grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom to the people residing in Pakistan occupied territories for the past seven decades."

India reacted to a Pakistan Supreme Court order on Thursday allowing its government to hold elections in September in Gilgit-Baltistan and setting up a caretaker government during the interim period. The order said Gilgit-Baltistan came within its domain.