By IANS,
Beijing/New Delhi : India Friday conveyed its concern to China over its “activities and presence” in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
India’s ambassador to China S. Jaishankar met Chinese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Zhang Zhijun in Beijing Friday and conveyed New Delhi’s concern over the presence of Chinese troops in Gilgit-Baltistan, reliable sources said.
The envoy also reiterated India’s objections to the Chinese plan to build dams and other infrastructure projects in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir, added sources.
Jaishankar returned to Beijing Thursday after briefing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his senior ministers at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security in New Delhi Tuesday.
The meeting reviewed India-China relations and discussed options in dealing with what is seen in New Delhi as aggressive posturing by China on issues critical to India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In response to a report in the New York Times (NYT) that claimed around 11,000 Chinese troops were present in Gilgit-Baltistan region administered by Pakistan, China dismissed the report late Wednesday night saying these reports were designed to hurt its ties with India.
“We believe the attempts of some people to fabricate stories to provoke China-Pakistan or China-India relations are doomed to fail,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said in a brief statement.
India took some time to verify these reports before conveying to Beijing its concerns that came amid tension in its ties with China over the denial of visa to a senior army commander on grounds that his command included Jammu and Kashmir.
The NYT report linked the military presence to China’s plans to gain a “grip on the strategic area to ensure unfettered road and rail access to the Gulf through Pakistan”.
On Monday, Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said in New Delhi: “If true, it would be a matter of serious concern and we would do all that is necessary to ensure the safety and security of the nation.”