NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Saturday raised an official protest over the "objectionable visit" of the British High Commissioner in Islamabad to
Pakistan Occupied Kashmir
on January 10, 2024.
"Such infringement of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is unacceptable," the statement read, adding that the foreign secretary has lodged a strong protest with the British High Commissioner in India on this infringement.
The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are, have been and shall always remain an integral part of India, it added.
UK High Commissioner to Pakistan,
Jane Marriott
, had visited Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on January 10.
Pakistan media has reported that Marriott -- the first woman British High Commissioner to Pakistan -- justified her visit to Mirpur since "70% of British Pakistani roots are from Mirpur".
Visit by US ambassador
The MEA had issued a similar protest after US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome had visited PoK’s Muzaffarabad in October last year.
"We would expect the international community to respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity and the areas of PoK as we consider the entire territory as an integral part of India," the MEA had said.
In his statement, Blome had termed Muzaffarabad as part of "AJK" (Azad Kashmir), which led India to raise the issue with the US.
In December, pictures of the US envoy engaging with the people of PoK’s Gilgit-Baltistan, also raised eyebrows. Then MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said, "We have objections regarding the visit and the meetings in PoK by the US envoy and we have conveyed the same."
(With inputs from agencies)
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