Pakistan rejects India's move to broadcast weather reports on PoK

Pakistan on Friday rejected India's move to begin broadcasting weather reports on Mirpur, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), terming it as a "legally void" action to change the status of the region. State-owned broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio from Friday began broadcasting weather reports on Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit in PoK in their prime-time news bulletins.

Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement that like the so-called "political maps" issued last year by India, this move is also legally void, contrary to reality, and in violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions. India in November last released fresh maps showing PoK as part of the newly created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, while Gilgit-Baltistan is in the UT of Ladakh following the bifurcation.

The Ministry of Home Affairs released the new map of India depicting the two UTs with PoK 'capital' Muzaffarabad within the geographical boundary of the country. "This is another mischievous Indian action in support of a spurious claim and further evidence of India's irresponsible behavior," it said.

The FO also said that no illegal and unilateral steps by India can change the status of Jammu and Kashmir. Such moves by the Government of India cannot prejudice the inalienable right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people, it said.

Pakistan would urge India not to make baseless assertions and to abstain from misleading the world community through unfounded claims, according to the statement. The move by the state-owned broadcasters comes after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Regional Meteorological Centre started including cities under PoK in its forecasts, a departure from its earlier format. The IMD has started including Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad, which are parts of PoK, under the Jammu and Kashmir meteorological sub-division since May 5.