Maleeha Javed Bhatti
Indian Govt recently issued new but controversial map of Kashmir .That is violation of UN resolution and inspiration of people of Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.The UN & World power must take notice of indian violation . The Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (MAPIM) joined other concerned parties today in strongly protesting India’s formal inclusion of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan as part of Indian territory.The Pakistan government yesterday rejected the new maps issued by New Delhi which showed the entire Kashmir region as its territory, describing them as “incorrect and legally untenable”.MAPIM President Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid called India’s move as provocative and will escalate the tension between the Kashmiris and the Indian authorities, after unilaterally partitioning the territory.”The implication of the new map is bound to create a strong public response amongst Kashmiris when the complete denial of their rights for self determination for the Kashmiris is now confirmed,” said Azmi.It was almost two months ago that India had erased the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and now it has moved to the next level of its annexation, he added.The fresh maps were released after the Indian government bifurcated the territory into two areas as part of Indian Ladakh Union Territory (UT).Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Office, made a statement saying that Islamabad rejected these political maps, which were incompatible with the United Nations’ (UN) maps.Pakistan also said that no move by India could change the “disputed” status of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been “recognised by the UN”. Azmi agreed that India was clearly violating the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution and must not be allowed to persist as demarcating a disputed territory unilaterally which could not be legally binding.The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs released the new map of India depicting Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan with its “capital” Muzaffarabad within the geographical boundary of the country.”We are demanding the UNSC to take appropriate action because it cannot remain silent to such violation. “India’s decision to bifurcate the former state into two Union territories, which was enforced on Oct 31 following the Presidential order, which was signed on Aug 5, must be condemned and the demarcation must be withdrawn,” he said. He compared the move by India on Kashmir as exactly the same as what Israel did to the Palestine Occupied Territories.
Two days after Jammu and Kashmir was officially bifurcated into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, the Union Home Ministry released the new political map of the country showing 28 states and nine Union Territories. Jammu and Kashmir transitioned from a state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh – nearly three months after Parliament revoked the state’s special status by abrogating Article 370. On the recommendation of the Parliament, President Ram Nath Kovind effectively abrogated Article 370 from the Indian Constitution and issued the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, in August. The new map also shows three districts – Muzaffarabad, Punch and Mirpur – which are under Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Ladakh Union Territory consists of two districts – Kargil and Leh – while the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory comprises 20 districts. In a gazette notification, the government also enumerated the territories in Leh district as: “Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilas, Tribal territory and Leh and Ladakh, except the present territory of Kargil.” The order was called the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Second Order, 2019. The map of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory comprises 20 districts, including Muzzarfarabad, Mirpur and the area of Poonch, which are under PoK. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislature like Puducherry, while Ladakh will be a Union Territory without a legislature like Chandigarh. Both will be headed by separate Lieutenant Governors.The L-Gs of the newly formed Union Territories were sworn in on Friday, along with the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The central government has appointed serving IAS officer of Gujarat cadre Girish Chandra Murmu as the L-G of Jammu and Kashmir, and retired bureaucrat of Tripura cadre Radha Krishna Mathur as the L-G of Ladakh. In 1947, the former Jammu and Kashmir state had 14 districts – Kathua, Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Anantnag, Baramulla, Poonch, Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Leh and Ladakh, Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilhas and Tribal Territory. By 2019, the government of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir had reorganised the areas of these 14 districts into 28 districts. The names of the new districts were – Kupwara, Bandipur, Ganderbal, Srinagar, Budgam, Pulwama, Shupian, Kulgam, Rajouri, Ramban, Doda, Kishtivar, Samba and Kargil. Out of these, Kargil district was carved out from the area of Leh and Ladakh district. The new map of India depicting the new Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh was prepared by the Survey General of India. The Union Territory of Ladakh includes two districts Kargil and Leh. While Kargil has been carved of Leh and Ladakh district, Leh includes the districts of Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilhas, Tribal Territory and remaining areas of Leh and Ladakh.The new map of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory includes 22 districts, including areas of Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, which were under the PoK in the previous map. Apart from this, Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Poonch, Budgaam, Shopian, Kulgam, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Doda, Samba, Jammu, Kathua, Ramban, Rajouri, Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Reasi and Ganderbal districts will be a part of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1947, the former Jammu and Kashmir state had 14 districts – Jammu, Mirpur, Reasi, Muzaffarabad, Kathua, Anantnag, Baramulla, Udhampur, Poonch, Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilas, Leh and Ladakh and Tribal Territory. By 2019, the government has reorganized these 14 districts into 28 districts. New districts are – Srinagar, Kargil Rajouri, Kupwara, Ganderbal, Doda, Pulwama, Shupian, Bandipur, Kulgam, Ramban, Kishtivar, Budgam and Samba.The central government introduced a resolution for the bifurcation of the state in Parliament on August 5, 2019. The state was divided into two parts and given the status of Union Territory after the approval of the President. Also, the provisions of Article 370 giving special status to the state were repealed. After this decision, on October 31, two new UTs duly came into existence in India. The central government appointed GC Murmu and RK Mathur first Lieutenant Governors of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh respectively.
The Author is Islamabad based freelance journalist.
