Islamabad: A day after the war of words in Goa between Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, China on Saturday supported Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. China on Saturday said that the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan is derived from history and should refrain from taking any unilateral steps on the issue. China also said that the issue should be resolved according to the UN resolutions. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang reached Islamabad on Friday on a two-day visit. He co-chaired a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday.
The two sides issued a joint statement at the end of the fourth phase of the ‘Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue’ in Islamabad. According to the statement, ‘China reiterates that the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan should be resolved in a fair and peaceful manner in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, relevant resolutions of the Security Council and bilateral agreements.’ Pakistan also agreed to continue their abiding support on issues related to each other’s core national interests.
It said, “Both sides (China and Pakistan) oppose any unilateral action that could further worsen the already unstable situation.” Underlined the importance and need for resolution of all pending disputes. Let us tell you that India had earlier criticized China and Pakistan for inappropriate references to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said last year that ‘we have consistently rejected such statements and all parties concerned are well aware of our clear position on these matters. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh are and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India. No other country has the right to comment on it. India made this statement when China and Pakistan mentioned the Kashmir issue in a joint statement.
