Asked Pakistan to vacate all areas under its illegal occupation last month: Government

The government on Wednesday said India has repeatedly called upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation and it made this assertion to Islamabad last month as well.

Replying to a question in Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India's "consistent and principled" position is that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and shall be an integral part of India.

Pakistan has been in illegal occupation of approximately 78,000 sq km of Indian territory in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, Swaraj said.

"Under the so-called 'Boundary Agreement' signed between China and Pakistan on March 2, 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq km of Indian territory in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to China," she said in her written reply.

"We have repeatedly and consistently called upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation, most recently on November 30, 2018," Swaraj said, without elaborating on where the issue was raised with Pakistan.

Pakistan continues to be in illegal and forcible occupation of a part of Jammu and Kashmir, she asserted.

To another question in Lok Sabha on the number of incursions in Doklam during 2014-2018, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said: "Doklam is part of the territory of Bhutan."

Government regularly takes up any transgression along the Line of Actual Control with the Chinese side through established mechanisms as well as through diplomatic channels.

To a question on whether the Ministry of External Affairs or any other officials have any involvement or signed any agreement with the French government for the procurement of Rafale jets, Singh said, "No".

 economictimes