New Delhi: BJP on Monday asked the government to
take up the issue of Arunachal Pradesh being shown as part of
China, and Kashmir as belonging to Pakistan in maps published
by the National Geographic.
"When a Parliamentary forum led by Speaker Meira Kumar
visited Westminster in London recently, it saw a global map in
the British Parliament showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of
China and a part of Kashmir as part of Pakistan though it is
represented by an MP in our Parliament," BJP spokesperson
Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
On enquiries, the delegation - of which Rudy was also a
member - was informed that the map had been made by National
Geographic. "We lodged a protest with the authorities there,"
he said.
China has indulged in repeated incursions into Arunachal
Pradesh and even refused to accept it as part of Indian
territory. Similarly, Kashmir has been considered a
contentious region by some organisations abroad which have
depicted it as part of Pakistan.
The BJP MP maintained that earlier when he had visited
Japan as part of a similar delegation, he had come across a
similar map in one of the Japanese ministries. Congress MP
Manish Tewari was with him, Rudy said.
"Now it has come to light that in Australia also a similar
map is in use in government departments. We have pointed this
out to the Ministry of External Affairs but the Government of
India has failed to respond or to act on it," Rudy said.
He maintained that all these maps have been printed by
National Geographic and the government should take up the
matter immediately with that organisation.
PTI
