Reorganisation of J&K internal affair: India slams China over Kashmir statement

India on Thursday hit back at China after it objected to the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories as "unlawful and void".

In a strongly-worded reaction to Bejing's criticism, the External Affairs Ministry raised the issue of China's continued occupation of a "large tract" of area in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Asking China not to comment on India's internal affairs, the ministry also said the neighbouring country illegally acquired Indian territories from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) under the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963.

"The matter of reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is entirely an internal affair of India. We do not expect other countries, including China, to comment on the matters which are internal to India, just as India refrains from commenting on internal issues of other countries," the MEA said in a statement.

On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh became separate union territories around three months after the NDA government announced withdrawing J&K's special status and splitting it into two union territories.

In Bejing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "India unilaterally changed its domestic laws and administrative division challenging China's sovereignty."