'Illegal Occupation': India Lodges Strong Protest With Pakistan Over 'General Elections' In PoK
'Illegal Occupation': India Lodges Strong Protest With Pakistan Over 'General Elections' In PoK Published By, Last Updated: June 05, 2026, 18:54 IST India has repeatedly
'Illegal Occupation': India Lodges Strong Protest With Pakistan Over 'General Elections' In PoK Published By, Last Updated: June 05, 2026, 18:54 IST India has repeatedly objected to Pakistan's administrative, political and constitutional measures in Gilgit-Baltistan, saying it is an integral part of Indian territory. Rapid Read India has repeatedly asserted that the J&K region, including Gilgit-Baltistan, comes under New Delhi's control. (PTI) India on Friday lodged a strong protest with Pakistan regarding the latter’s plans to hold “general elections" in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on June 7. Pakistan is set to hold elections in PoK’s Gilgit Baltistan after six years on June 7 to elect 33 members to its legislative assembly. India has repeatedly objected to Pakistan’s administrative, political and constitutional measures in Gilgit-Baltistan, arguing that such actions have no legal basis and do not alter India’s claim over the region. In a press statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The Government of India lodged a strong protest with Pakistan regarding the latter’s plans to hold ‘General Elections’ to the so-called ‘Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly’, in the Indian territories illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan, scheduled for June 7." The government reiterated that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including the so-called “Gilgit-Baltistan", are integral and inalienable parts of India.
India lodges strong protest regarding holding of “General Elections" in “Gilgit-Baltistan"🔗 pic.twitter.com/CvTKddUEJR — Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) June 5, 2026 “The Government of India further emphasised that such endeavours by Pakistan cannot mask the underlying issues of grave human rights violations, political repression, economic exploitation and denial of freedom in territories illegally occupied by Pakistan," the MEA said. The MEA said it “categorically rejects any attempts by Pakistan to bring material change to areas under Pakistan’s illegal occupation" and reiterated that Pakistan must vacate territories that India considers to be under unlawful occupation", adding that such actions cannot hide the fact that Pakistan has illegally occupied Indian territories. The so-called Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly was established in 2009 and has a total of 33 seats, including 24 general seats, six reserved seats for women and three reserved seats for technocrats and professionals. This comes amid tensions between the two neighbours over Jammu and Kashmir.
On May 26, India strongly rejected references to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement issued by China and Pakistan, calling them “unwarranted". The joint statement released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Islamabad had briefed the Chinese side on developments in Jammu and Kashmir. However, India made it clear that no other country has the “locus standi" to comment on the matter. India has consistently opposed what it describes as attempts by Pakistan to internationalise the Kashmir issue, maintaining that the matter is strictly bilateral and that its territorial position remains unchanged. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int...
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