SOURCE: AFI
Pakistan has expressed its displeasure after a UAE minister shared a video clip depicting the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, which includes a map showing the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) as part of India. The map also includes Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, areas over which Pakistan claims administrative control.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, stated that any map showing the entire J&K as part of India is legally untenable and factually incorrect. She emphasized that J&K is internationally recognized as a disputed territory, with its final disposition to be determined in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Baloch also noted that Azad J&K and Gilgit Baltistan, as shown on the Indian map, are under Pakistan’s control.
Regarding the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, from which Pakistan has been excluded, Baloch stated that it is still at the conception stage. Pakistan will comment on the project once it materializes, considering factors such as its implications for other countries.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has celebrated the third anniversary of the Abraham Accords, which led to the normalization of relations between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. These agreements also facilitated partnerships like the Negev Forum and the I2U2 partnership involving India, Israel, the UAE, and the US. The I2U2 partnership, in turn, played a role in the formation of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, aimed at strengthening shared capabilities and collaboration to address contemporary challenges and opportunities.
The issue highlights geopolitical complexities in the region, with various countries having divergent perspectives on territorial disputes and connectivity projects.