NEW DELHI – Responding to a joint communiqué issued by the European Union and Pakistan after their strategic talks recently, India has rejected the inclusion of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the document, saying those who have no locus standi in such matters shouldn’t make any comments about them.
Following the conclusion of the 8th round of the EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad on June 1, 2026, both sides issued a joint communiqué stating that the Pakistani side informed the European delegation on “the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
“India categorically rejects such unwarranted references in the joint press communique on matters internal to India. Those who have no locus standi on such matters should desist from making any comment on them,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman for Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said at a press briefing.
As per the official statement released by the two parties on the conclusion of the meeting, the delegation of the European Union was apprised of the matter.
MEA emphasized its consistent stance on the matter, referring to the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh as “integral and inalienable parts of India.” The most recent episode in this ongoing diplomatic row can be seen as an echo of a similar development that occurred last week when India condemned “unwarranted” allusions to Kashmir in the joint statement made by China and Pakistan.
In recent months, India has become more vocal about attempts by other states to internationalize the Kashmir dispute through bilateral platforms. In its official statement, New Delhi emphasized that all matters related to the territory are purely bilateral within the context of the 1972 Simla Agreement and the 1999 Lahore Declaration, making it impossible for external players like the EU to mediate or comment on the issue.
Although trade, GSP+, and security dominated the recent dialogue, the mention of Kashmir in the concluding statement has cast a temporary shadow over India-EU relations.
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