SOURCE: REPUBLIC TV
In a bizarre claim, one of the ministers from Imran Khan-led government in Pakistan said that Pakistanis can now enter Kashmir which is a part of India, simply because Pakistan Government amended its map and included Kashmir in it.
The claim was ludicrously made by Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur during an interview where he said, “we have taken it (Kashmir) inside our map. Earlier if I went to Kashmir, they would have called me terrorist, but now I can say I am in my own country.”
“I can walk into Kashmir now,” he reiterated, while the interviewer looked puzzled with his absurd logic.
He went on to say, “earlier we considered it as disputed territory, but now we are claiming it as our own.”
“Generally, first we set the target and then we achieve it. So we have set a target now,” he said justifying his statement.
He said that Pakistan wanted to send out a strong message to India.
He said, “If you (India) have deployed your forces there, then even we have brought the region in our map.”
Netizens say ‘please come, Indian Army waiting’
Netizens couldn’t hold on to themselves and flooded Twitter with hysterical comments after watching the ridiculous statements by the Pakistan Minister. Some even invited the Minister to Kashmir, saying that he will be welcomed by the Indian Army.
Pakistan’s harebrained inclusion of Indian territories in its map
Gandapur’s ridiculous statement is in view of Pakistan’s amendment of its map claiming sovereignty on Indian territories. Earlier in August, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan unveiled new political map ahead of the first anniversary of Jammu and Kashmir’s article 370 abrogation. In a marked departure from its claim that Jammu and Kashmir is “disputed territory”, this entire Union Territory along with the Union Territory of Ladakh has been incorporated in Pakistan’s new map. Moreover, Pakistan has claimed sovereignty over Siachen by extending the Line of Control to the Karakoram Pass.
The neighbouring country also specified that its international border lies along the eastern bank of Sir Creek, which was previously shown as the western bank. However, the part of the Kashmir and Ladakh border with China was not marked and described as ‘Frontier Undecided’. In another incredulous development, Pakistan incorporated parts of Gujarat such as Junagadh and Manavdar in its political map.
Reacting to Pakistan’s latest misadventure, the Centre termed it as an exercise in “political absurdity”. It stated that Pakistan’s ridiculous assertions had no legal validity. According to the Union government, this was proof of Pakistan’s obsession with territorial aggrandizement.
In a statement, the Central government said, “We have seen a so-called ‘political map’ of Pakistan that has been released by PM Imran Khan. 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. These ridiculous assertions have neither legal validity nor international credibility. In fact, this new effort only confirms the reality of Pakistan’s obsession with territorial aggrandizement supported by cross-border terrorism.”
