India rejects Pak's move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday outrightly rejected Pakistan's move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province, saying it is totally unacceptable.

Replying to an issue raised by BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Swaraj said India condemned the move the day it was made.

Swaraj said the Parliament had also earlier passed a resolution declaring the entire Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India.

"One should not doubt the intention and policies of the NDA Government with regard to Jammu and Kashmir," she added.

Earlier, the British Parliament also condemned Islamabad's announcement declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth frontier, saying the region is a legal and constitutional part of Jammu and Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.

Pakistan's Minister For Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada had told Geo TV that a committee headed by Advisor of Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had proposed giving the status of a province to Gilgit-Baltistan.

He also said that a constitutional amendment would be made to change the status of the region, through which the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes.