Ladakh and J&K integral part of India, China has no locus standi: MEA

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday slammed China for its remark on Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, saying that the territories are an integral part of India and Beijing has no locus standi on it.
"The union territories of Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir have been, are & would remain an integral part of India. China has no locus standi to comment on India's internal matter," said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.
Srivastava was responding to Beijing's remarks dismissing the establishment of Ladakh as a Union territory by New Delhi last year. The remark came a day after defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 44 key bridges in border areas with Ladakh.
The MEA spokesperson also said the government has conveyed to China at the "highest level" that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.

"Arunachal Pradesh is also an integral part of India, this fact has also been clearly conveyed to the Chinese side on several occasions, including at the highest level," said Srivastava.
China had earlier this week said that it does not recognize the UT of Ladakh, which is "illegally" established by India, as well as the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
In its response to China, the MEA also said it hopes other countries do not comment on its internal matters as they "expect" the same from others.