A United Nations resolution promoting more accurate map projections has sparked fresh tensions between India and Pakistan over a disputed territory between the two nations.
A war of words broke out this weekend over the sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir, which both countries claim as their own but administer separately in parts.
The row was triggered after both India and Pakistan voted alongside almost all UN members on Friday in favor of a resolution that encourages the use of maps that more accurately represent the relative size of land masses. In clarifying its vote on Sunday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it wasn’t endorsing any specific map, but reiterated that any inaccurate depiction of its territories on a map would be “unacceptable.”
“India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted in accordance with India’s official map,” the ministry said in a statement. “Our position on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear, consistent and non-negotiable.”
Pakistan objected to India’s depiction of sovereignty over the disputed area of Jammu and Kashmir. In a sharply worded statement on Monday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said India’s assertions were “baseless” and sovereignty can’t be claimed by one side.
“Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains one of the oldest, unresolved internationally recognized disputes on the agenda of the UN Security Council,” according to the statement. “India’s so-called official maps and unilateral claims of sovereignty have no bearing on the status of the disputed territory.”
The territory has remained a source of longstanding tensions between the two sides. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the Himalayan region since independence from British rule in 1947.
The UN resolution last week was led by African nations opposed to map projections that make the continent appear smaller than it is. The UN move would encourage governments, schools, international organizations and technology companies to use the Equal Earth projection for maps, which more accurately represents the relative size of land masses, according to a UN statement. The US was the only country to vote against the motion, while six countries, including Ukraine, abstained.
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