'There is no Pakistani Kashmir, only PoK': India rebukes NYT headline
New York: The Indian Embassy in the US has firmly corrected The New York Times, reiterating that there is no "Pakistani Kashmir" and that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh remain integral parts of India, amidst reports of violent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Indian Embassy in US corrected The New York Times for using "Pakistani Kashmir" in a headline.
India asserts that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India.
The embassy stated Pakistan illegally occupies parts of these territories and exploits the local population.
Ongoing mass protests in PoK are attributed to Pakistan's economic exploitation and denial of fundamental rights.
Clashes in PoK have reportedly led to at least 30 deaths, with protests against the regional legislative assembly.
There is no Pakistani Kashmir, the Indian Embassy in the US said on Wednesday, pointing out that the headline of a news report in a leading American daily was "misleading and incorrect".
The news report in The New York Times referred to violent clashes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
"Misleading and incorrect headline by @nytimes. There is no Pakistani Kashmir, only Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," the Indian Embassy said. It said the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, have been, are and will "always remain an integral and inalienable part of India."
"Pakistan has illegally occupied parts of these territories and is now using violence against the occupied people," the embassy said.
Protests And Exploitation In PoK : According to the NYT report, quoting local officials and independent estimates, at least 30 people, including protesters, law enforcement personnel and bystanders, had died in clashes since early June and before Monday's latest round of violence.
The Joint Awami Action Committee, a collective of activist groups, has been holding a series of protests in PoK since last month over 12 contentious seats of the so-called regional legislative assembly. It alleges that the establishment manoeuvres these seats to install a prime minister of its choosing.
India has said that the ongoing mass protests in PoK are "the direct consequences of Pakistan's economic exploitation, its denial of the people's fundamental rights, and its administrative oppression."
