The Government has released a new political map of India after two new Union Territories- Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh came into existence on October 31, 2019. The new Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has a total of 22 districts (including areas of Muzaffarabad and Mirpur), while Ladakh has two districts (Kargil and Leh). Apart from this, Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Poonch, Budgaam, Shopian, Kulgam, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Doda, Samba, Jammu, Kathua, Ramban, Rajouri, Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Reasi and Ganderbal districts will be a part of Jammu and Kashmir.
The new map of India depicting the new Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh was prepared by the Survey General of India. The Centre released India’s new political map showing 28 states and nine Union Territories, two days after Jammu and Kashmir was officially bifurcated into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The move of including Pakistan-administered areas as a part of India’s geographical territory comes amidst protests by Pakistan and its ally China against India’s move to bifurcate J&K into two Union Territories. This New map has also included lipulekh & other disputed places which is being hot topic on Nepali social Media as well. Nepal’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has said that It is inquiring about the matter!
The Indian Parliament had passed the proposal to withdraw the statehood of J&K on August 5. The new political map of India was released by the Ministry of Home Affairs on November 2, 2019.
Brief History
After the defeat of the Sikhs in the First Anglo-Sikh War, the province of Jammu and Kashmir was transferred to Gulab Singh, to be ruled under British suzerainty as a princely state. A Ladakhi rebellion in 1842 was crushed and Ladakh was incorporated into the Dogra state of Jammu and Kashmir. India on Saturday released fresh maps of the newly created Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh and the map of India depicting these UTs. In the maps, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is part of the newly created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, while Gilgit-Baltistan is in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Nepal’s objection to new map of India
Nepal strongly objected to a recently-released Indian political map that placed Nepali territory Kalapani inside India. A report in the Nepalese media said Kalapani was a part of the Darchula district of Nepal while the new Indian map, released on Saturday, placed it under the Pithoragarh district in the state of Uttarakhand.
The Centre on Thursday allied Nepal’s fears about India trying appropriate its territory in the new map. Reacting on Nepal’s claim that the new map of India ‘incorrectly’ depicted Kalapani area situated in the country’s far-West lies within the Indian boundary, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the boundaries with Nepal remain unchanged in the new map.
What MEA of India has to say ?
A day after Nepal strongly objected to a recently-released Indian political map that placed Nepali territory Kalapani inside India, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday claimed that the map is accurate.