India rejects Pakistan’s obsession with territorial aggrandisement: Minister

While responding to an unstarred question on the new political map of Pakistan, V Muraleedharan, Minister of State in the MEA, was quoted as saying by ANI in Rajya Sabha that Pakistan had released the “so-called” map “making absurd assertions and laying untenable claims to territories in the Gujarat and Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh”. 

“On 4 August 2020, a so-called political map of Pakistan was unveiled by its Prime Minister making absurd assertions and laying untenable claims to territories in the Indian state of Gujarat and our Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh,” Muraleedharan said.

“Government has rejected Pakistan’s obsession with territorial aggrandisement supported by cross-border terrorism," he said.

"It has also been emphasised that Pakistan should desist from laying untenable claims to Indian territories, which neither have legal validity nor international credibility,” Muraleedharan said.

After Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan unveiled a new political map of his country which included the entire Jammu and Kashmir, India had  last month called it a 'political absurdity.'

Unveiling the new map Khan told media, "This is the most historic day in Pakistan’s history."

"This will be the new map of Pakistan from now on," he said.

Khan said the new map has been backed by all political parties of the country.

The move has drawn a sharp reaction from India who called this exercise a political absurdity.

"We have seen a so-called “political map” of Pakistan that has been released by Prime Minister 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," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in a statement.

"These ridiculous assertions have neither legal validity nor international credibility," he said.

"In fact, this new effort only confirms reality of Pakistan’s obsession with territorial aggrandisement supported by cross-border terrorism," he added.

The map was unveiled a day before India will observe the first anniversary of scrapping Article 370 which was used to grant special status to Jammu and Kashmir since 1947, the year of India's Independence.

“This map also opposes the Indian government’s illegal act of August 5 last year,” the Pakistan PM added.