China Continues to Occupy Areas of J&K and Ladakh, Says MEA as Beijing Calls Bifurcation 'Unlawful, Void'

New Delhi: The bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories is India’s internal matter and China has no right to comment on the matter since it continues to illegally occupy large parts of J&K and Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

Hitting out at a Chinese statement calling India’s action in J&K “unlawful and void”, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India does not expect a comment from other countries, including China.

“China is well aware of India’s consistent and clear position on this issue. The matter of reorganization of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is entirely an internal affair of India. We do not expect other countries, including China, to comment on the matters which are internal to India, just as India refrains from commenting on internal issues of other countries,” Kumar said.

“China continues to be in occupation of a large tract of area in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. It has also illegally acquired Indian territories from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963,” he added.

Objecting to J&K’s bifurcation, China said India's decision to "include" some of “China's territory” into its administrative jurisdiction "challenged" Beijing's sovereignty.

Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated on Thursday into two union territories —Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — in accordance with the Indian government's August 5 announcement revoking the state's special status under Article 370.

China had earlier objected to the Indian government's August 5 order of the revocation of Article 370 and the formation of Ladakh as Union Territory, saying that some of the area involved Chinese territory.

"The Indian government officially announced the establishment of so-called Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories which included some of China's territory into its administrative jurisdiction," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media.

"China deplores and firmly opposes that. India unilaterally changed its domestic laws and administrative division challenging China's sovereignty," he said replying to a question. "This is unlawful and void and this is not effective in any way and will not change the fact that the area is under Chinese actual control," he said.