New Delhi: As India reiterated its protest over incorrect depiction of its border on the maps used by the US Government, the State Department in Washington posted on its website a new map which it said was consistent with the position US had taken on the status of Jammu and Kashmir.
“We made a goof up and we fixed it and we’re now back in compliance with our own cartographical policy,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at the daily media briefing in Washington last evening.
When asked about the correction done by the US, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told here, “We will first have to see the changed map put up by the State Department, before saying anything.” The previous maps showing parts of Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan were removed by the State Department in November after India registered its strong protest.
After putting up changed maps, State Department Spokesperosn said, “What you will see when you look at these maps is that they reflect the fact that the United States takes no position on the dispute and urges all the parties to seek a peaceful resolution to resolving the claims,” she said.
“What you’ll see on the maps is consistent with what the US geographic position has been consistently: that there is a dashed line representing the 1972 Line of Control, reflecting Kashmir’s unresolved status,” Ms Nuland said.
Earlier, last evening, the Ministry of External Affairs here had said here that “the Government is aware of the gross inaccuracies, in the map of India, on the US State Department website. The Government has consistently rejected incorrect depiction of India’s borders on maps used by the US Government. It has used every opportunity to convey to the US side its concern in this regard, and has asked that these maps be corrected. We shall reiterate our position to the US.” “The Government takes this opportunity to reaffirm that the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and has consistently conveyed to the international community that maps of India should depict the boundaries of our country correctly,” it had said. (KMW News)
