India slams Jammu and Kashmir reference in Pakistan-China statement, asks them to respect sovereignty

India on Tuesday (March 17) slammed China and Pakistan for their reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement released by them and asserted that other countries should respect India's sovereignty and refrain from commenting on its internal matters.

The Kashmir issue was raised during a meeting between Pakistani President Arif Alvi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jingping in Beijing on Tuesday during which Xi said that his government was keeping a close eye over the current situation in the region.

"Both sides exchanged views on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistan side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments, including its concerns, position, and current urgent issues," said a joint statement posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

Reacting to the joint statement, inistry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar remarked that both Islamabad and Beijing should keep this in mind that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and all issues related to it are the internal matter of India.

"We reject the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement issued by China and Pakistan after the recent visit of Pakistani President to China," Kumar said.

"We expect other countries including China not to comment on matters that are internal affairs of India and also to respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity just as India refrains from commenting on internal issues of other countries," he added.

The MEA spokesperson also noted that India would also object and reiterate its concerns over the illegal 'China Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is in India's territory that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.

"India is resolutely opposed to any actions by other countries to change the status quo in Pakistan occupied J&K. We call on parties concerned to cease such actions. Such illegal activities will never be accepted by India," he said.