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Updated: May 9, 2020 10:46:41 am
An image capture from the IMD newsletter
Pakistan on Friday rejected the decision of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to refer to its meteorological subdivision of Jammu and Kashmir as “Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad”.
As reported by The Indian Express on May 7The IMD had begun, in a subtle change, to refer to its meteorological subdivision of Jammu and Kashmir as “Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad”. Muzaffarabad is part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while Gilgit-Baltistan is also under Pakistani illegal occupation.
In a statement on Friday night, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Aisha Farooqui said Islamabad rejected the Indian measure of “inclusion” of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan in the Indian television weather bulletin.
#Pakistan rejects the Indian “inclusion” measure of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the Indian television weather bulletin. This is yet another mischievous Indian action in support of a spurious claim and further evidence of India’s irresponsible behavior.
Tthttps: //t.co/0AeTzHT3zf pic.twitter.com/Ai6HlTWp82– Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) May 8, 2020
“Like the so-called ‘political maps’ issued last year by India, this movement is also legally void, contrary to reality and in violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions. This is another mischievous Indian action in support of a spurious claim and more evidence of India’s irresponsible behavior, “the spokesman said.
“No illegal and unilateral step by India can change the” disputed “state of Jammu and Kashmir, recognized as such by the international community, including the United Nations,” he added.
The name change began to be reflected from Tuesday in the daily forecast for Northwest India, issued by IMD from New Delhi. Daily forecasts at the regional level are for the entire subdivision and not for specific areas within.
The IMD movement not only reflects Ladakh’s changed status as a separate Union Territory but conveys a significant underlying message. It comes just days after the Pakistan Supreme Court’s decision to allow the federal government to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.
On April 30, Pakistan’s superior court had allowed the federal government’s request to establish a provisional government and hold elections in the provincial assembly. On Monday, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) had filed a “strong protest” against the decision, saying that Pakistani institutions “had no locus standi in territories occupied illegally or by force.”
The MEA had said that India completely rejected such actions and “continued attempts to introduce material changes in the Pakistani-occupied areas of the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir.” The Pakistani Foreign Ministry released a statement the same day, rejecting India’s charges.
There are 36 meteorological subdivisions in the country, broadly defined along state lines, but some large states have multiple subdivisions, while some smaller states are grouped in the same subdivision.
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