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Indian activity at Siachen violates Shimla accord
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Monday it had lodged protests with Britain and India over a joint military exercise in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
Britain's Royal Marines last week kicked off 25 days of joint high-altitude exercises with the Indian army in the northern Ladakh region.
"We have sent demarches to both the British government and the Indian government," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a weekly briefing. A demarche is a formal diplomatic representation.
"This is not a legitimate activity because Jammu and Kashmir is internationally recognized disputed territory," she said, adding, "More than anybody else the British should be aware of it."
Britain ruled the Indian subcontinent until 1947 when it was split into Hindu-majority India and mainly Muslim Pakistan. Many here still blame Britain for failing to resolve the Kashmir issue before leaving.
Pakistan last week protested to India over a plan to allow trekkers to visit the disputed 6,300-metre (20,800-feet) Siachen glacier in Kashmir, where thousands of troops from both countries are stationed.
Aslam stepped up criticism of the move on Monday, saying the Indian presence in Siachen violated a 1972 accord.
"The Indian military's aggression into Siachen, its presence there and any activity that it sponsors in this area is illegal," she said.
Courtesy Geo