New Delhi: Political map released by Islamabad an exercise in political absurdity

BSS

Published at 06:49 pm August 4th, 2020

File photo: Security personnel stand guard as they block a road during a lockdown at Maisuma locality of Srinagar on September 27,2019 AFP

Earlier, Imran Khan told a news conference that it was the 'most historic day in Pakistan’s history' after getting cabinet approval for the map, which also included Kashmir

A statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has described the “political map” released by Pakistan as an “exercise in political absurdity.”

The MEA statement was released hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had unveiled a “political map of Pakistan” that counts Jammu and Kashmir and Junagadh in Gujarat as its territories.

“These ridiculous assertions have neither legal validity nor international credibility. This is an exercise in political absurdity, laying untenable claims to territories in the Indian State of Gujarat and our Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and of Ladakh,” said the statement from the Indian Ministry on Tuesday.

The MEA statement also said: “The new effort only confirms reality of Pakistan’s obsession with territorial aggrandizement supported by cross-border terrorism.”

Earlier, Imran Khan told a news conference that it was the “most historic day in Pakistan’s history” after getting cabinet approval for the map, which also included Kashmir.

The Pakistan prime minister made the announcement a day ahead of the first anniversary of India’s decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and split the former state into two centrally-administered territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.