Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 30: India has strongly objected to The New York Times referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as "Pakistani Kashmir", reiterating that the region is an integral and inalienable part of India.
The Indian Embassy in the United States criticised the terminology used in the headline of a recent report by the American newspaper, calling it "misleading and incorrect".
In a post on X, the embassy stated, "There is no Pakistani Kashmir, only Pakistan-occupied Kashmir."
Reaffirming New Delhi's long-standing position, the embassy said that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh "have been, are, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India". It further alleged that Pakistan continues to illegally occupy parts of these territories and is using violence against people living in the occupied region.
India's response came after The New York Times published a report on recent unrest and local body elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The report said violence broke out in Mirpur after security forces clashed with members of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil rights group protesting alleged police excesses in the region.
India has consistently maintained that the entire region of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir is under its sovereign jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, government sources said on Wednesday that more than 30 civilians were killed and over 33 others injured during a crackdown by Pakistani security forces on protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir over the past two days.
The protests, led by the Joint Awami Action Committee, were held during the ongoing local body elections in the region. According to the sources, Pakistani security forces used lethal force against demonstrators during JAAC's march from Rawalakote to Muzaffarabad.
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has witnessed widespread protests in recent weeks over rising living costs, alleged administrative neglect, political discrimination and reported human rights violations, with demonstrators demanding greater accountability from the authorities.
On Tuesday, New Delhi also described the elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as an attempt by Islamabad to legitimise its illegal occupation and divert attention from what it termed grave human rights violations in the region.