China opposes the Indian government putting Chinese territory at the west section of the China-India border under its jurisdiction, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry’s comment was a response to India’s move to scrap the special status granted to the Indian-controlled Kashmir, which also involves the west part of the China-India border.
“India has continued to damage China’s territorial sovereignty by unilaterally modifying its laws. This is unacceptable and will not have any effect,” Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
“We urge the Indian side to be cautious on the border issue, strictly abide by the relevant agreements of the two sides, and avoid taking actions that further complicate the border issue.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party on Monday rushed through a presidential decree to scrap the Indian-controlled Kashmir’s special status.
It also moved a bill proposing the Indian-administered part of the Himalayan region be divided into two regions directly ruled by New Delhi.
Pakistan’s military “firmly stands” by Kashmiris, the army chief said Tuesday, a day after India descended to cancel the special status of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
The army’s top commanders met in the garrison city of Rawalpindi to discuss the move by India.
“Pakistan Army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end. We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfil our obligations in this regard,” General Qamar Javed Bajwa said in a tweet sent by a military spokesman after the meeting.
Spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said commanders “fully supported” the civilian government’s rejection of India’s move.
“Pakistan never recognized the sham Indian efforts to legalize its occupation” of the disputed mountainous region, he added.
On Tuesday, an estimated 500 people demonstrated in Muzaffarabad, the largest city in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, with more protests expected in major cities across the country. Pakistani lawmakers also began a joint-session of parliament to discuss a possible response to Delhi’s move.
Kashmir has been disputed by India and Pakistan since independence in 1947. They have fought two of their three wars over the former principality.
