Jane Marriott. (Photo via Facebook)
New Delhi: India strongly objected to a recent visit by the United Kingdom’s high commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, to Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In a statement, on Saturday, the Indian foreign ministry said New Delhi has taken “serious note of the highly objectionable visit” by Marriott and a UK foreign office to POK.
“Such infringement of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is unacceptable,” the foreign ministry said.
The Indian foreign secretary, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, too conveyed New Delhi’s displeasure over Marriott’s POK visit to the British high commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, on Saturday. New Delhi told London that the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh “are, have been, and shall always remain” an integral part of India.
Marriott visited Mirpur on January 10 – the day India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh had met the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, in London during the defence minister’s two-day visit to the country.
Marriott made her visit to POK known through a post on X, on Wednesday, where she termed Mirpur as the “heart of the UK and Pakistan’s people-to-people ties” and thanked the people of Mirpur for their hospitality.
Salaam from Mirpur, the heart of the UK and Pakistan’s people to people ties! 70% of British Pakistani roots are from Mirpur, making our work together crucial for diaspora interests. Thank you for your hospitality! pic.twitter.com/3LyNFQan9H
— Jane Marriott (@JaneMarriottUK) January 10, 2024
It may be noted that India had objected to the two POK visits by the United States’ ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome, who referred to the region as “Azad Kashmir”. Blome first visited POK in October 2022, which India had strongly objected to. Then, ignoring India’s strong resentment, he visited POK again in September last year for a six-day trip to Gilgit Baltistan.
