UN-Backed World Map Must Show J&K, Ladakh As Per India’s Official Map: MEA

NEW DELHI, Sep 6: India on Sunday said any UN-initiated proposed world map must depict the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in accordance with India’s official map, asserting that any inaccurate or misleading representation of the country’s territory would be unacceptable.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s position on its sovereignty and territorial integrity was “clear, consistent and non-negotiable”.

His remarks came two days after India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution seeking to promote more accurate representation of continental landmasses on world maps.

The resolution, titled “Correct the Map: Rebalancing Global Cartographic Representation and Promoting Equitable Representation of the World’s Regions, Particularly Africa”, was adopted on September 4.

Responding to a media query, Jaiswal said India had made clear in its explanation of vote that the resolution did not endorse any particular map, projection or depiction of national boundaries.

“India voted in favour of the resolution and also made an explanation of vote stressing on the underlying principle of promoting equal-area cartographic representation,” he said.

Jaiswal said India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted according to the country’s official map.

He clarified that the UN resolution was intended to encourage the use of equal-area map projections that preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses and did not adopt or authenticate any particular world map.

The resolution also does not address political cartography, including international boundaries, disputed territories or place names, he said.

Sponsored by Togo, the resolution received 164 votes in favour. Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstained, while the United States was the only country to vote against it. (Agencies)