Pakistan summons Indian envoy over territory dispute

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Friday summoned Indian envoy to the Foreign Ministry and rejected New Delhi objections at its decision to grant self rule to its Northern Areas and to build a dam in the area.

Earlier the Indian government had summoned Pakistani Deputy High Commissioner and registered its strong protest against Pakistani government's "Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order 2009" and its move to construct the Bunji Hydroelectric Project in Northern Areas .

The Deputy High Commissioner of India in Islamabad was called to the Foreign Office to emphasize that Pakistan rejects the Indian protest as the government of India has no locus standi in the matter, said a Foreign Ministry statement.

The government of Pakistan also rejects the Indian claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir dispute is based on relevant United Nations resolutions, it said.

In New Delhi the Foreign Ministry said Pakistan is "denying basic democratic rights to the people in those parts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir under its illegal occupation for the past six decades".

New Delhi told the Pakistani envoy that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India by virtue of its accession in 1947.

A government spokesman described the Gilgit-Baltistan order as yet another cosmetic exercise intended to camouflage Pakistan's illegal occupation of the region, Indian media reported.

In its special meeting on Aug. 29, Pakistan's federal cabinet approved the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009, according to which Gilgit-Baltistan had been proposed as the new official name of the Northern Areas.

Besides changing its name, the government aimed at giving the Northern Areas full internal autonomy, local media reported.

The Northern Areas is the northernmost political entity within the Pakistani-controlled part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in British India. It became a single administrative unit in 1970 under the name "Northern Areas". With its administrative center at the town of Gilgit, Gilgit Baltistan covers an area of 72,971 square kilometers and has an estimated population approaching 1,000,000.

India has been demanding that the area be part of its territory after British India was divided into two independent states, India and Pakistan, in 1947.

The 7,000 megawatt dam is being constructed at Bunji in the Astore district of the Gilgit-Baltistan area with the help of China.

An agreement was signed in Aug. this year to activate construction of the project, one of the eight 7,000 megawatt hydelprojects to be constructed.