India slams China for commenting Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar : Hours after China released a statement calling separation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories "unlawful and void", India responded with a strongly-worded statement. "We do not expect other countries, including China, to comment on matters that are internal to India, just as India refrains from commenting on the internal issues of other countries," said Ministry of External Affairs.

From Wednesday midnight, 82 days after the Centre scrapped Article 370 of Indian constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the former state was divided into two UTs – Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh.

China on Thursday objected to India's move, stating the decision to include certain areas "challenged" its sovereignty.

"The Indian government officially announced the establishment of so-called Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories which included some of China's territory into its administrative jurisdiction," Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Beijing, according to news agency PTI.

"China deplores and firmly opposes this. This is unlawful and void and this is not effective in any way and will not change the fact that the area is under Chinese actual control," he stressed, urging India to "earnestly respect Chinese territorial sovereignty" and "uphold peace and tranquillity in the border areas".

India came up with a sharp response, reminding China that it expected other countries to "respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

"There was no implication for either the external boundaries of India or the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. India is not raising any additional territorial claims. The issue related to changes is a temporary provision of the Constitution of India and was the sole prerogative of the country," the Foreign Minister told China.