By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistan Monday lodged protests with India and Britain against their planned joint war games in Jammu and Kashmir, expressing its concern over the exercise.
“We have strongly protested against it with both India and the UK,” said Tasneem Aslam, foreign office spokesperson.
“A protest note has been given by the government to British high commissioner in Islamabad and our high commission in London has handed over a protest note to the government there.”
“Likewise a protest note has been delivered to Indian deputy high commissioner (in Islamabad),” Online news agency quoted Aslam as saying.
“Pakistan feels that this is illegitimate activity because Jammu and Kashmir is internationally recognized disputed territory and more than anybody else, Britain should be aware of it,” Aslam said.
Elite soldiers of Indian and British armed forces, who were holding joint military exercises in mountainous Ladakh in Kashmir, are to conduct joint exercises in the world’s highest battlefield at the Siachen glacier in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas along the India-Pakistan border.
With regard to the issue of allowing trekking in Siachen by India, Aslam said Pakistan had already lodged a protest with India. “If India allowed trekking teams in Siachen or if India is doing it now, it does not make it legitimate.”
“Indian military aggression into Siachen, its presence there and any activities that it sponsors in this area are illegal,” she said.
“We have a composite dialogue process with India and Siachen is one of the issues being discussed,” Aslam said, adding that the Indian presence there was illegal and it was a clear violation of the Shimla Agreement.