On 4/8/2020 Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan released a new map that showed Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Sir Creek and Junagadh as Pakistani territories. India did not deal suitably with Nepal when it changed its map to include Indian territory. Now Pakistan has done the same.
The map mentions Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh under Indian rule as Indian illegally occupied Jammu & Kashmir (Disputed territory – Final status to be decided in line with relevant UNSC Resolutions). It does not include Aksai Chin which is Indian territory occupied by China.
India responded by stating that the exercise is political absurdity and these ridiculous assertions have neither legal validity nor international credibility.
Nepal’s PM Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli is on warpath. He said Nepal will send its new map to UN. UN prints and uses its own maps. Every UN map is said to have a disclaimer. One map dt. 28/7/2020 showing India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar/Burma has the disclaimer “Map produced by the JRC. The boundaries and the names shown in this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.” JRC is Joint Research Centre of European Commission. UN map of China also has similar disclaimer.
Pakistan’s action has to be seen together with actions of China and Nepal. These three countries are hostile to India. China has border disputes with many countries. It claims South China Sea. USA challenges this claim. Australia is on USA’s side.
Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell on 30/7/2020 said Australia opposes any attempts to unilaterally alter any status quo along the Line of Actual Control. He also commented about China’s destabilising manoeuvres in South China Sea. Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong objected to that.
China, Pakistan and Nepal are acting together. India has banned Chinese Apps. India has trade deficit with China. Banning Chinese imports will hurt China. India has to get tough with Nepal. Many Balochs wants independence. India can release a map showing Balochistan as an independent country and Tibet as under Illegal Chinese Occupation.
As long as these countries keep fighting these shadow wars on maps, it’s interesting. If it pleases the egos of the leaders let them carry on. Let them not bring it out of the maps, however.