IMD chief confirms 'illegally occupied' PoK cities included in new weather forecast format

IMD Director General M Mohapatra issuing his first response after IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre started including cities under Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in its forecasts, in a departure from previous format, said that wear forecasting ncy has been doing it ever since Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two union territories. 

'All those places come under Indian territory'

Speaking to ANI, he said, "I want to inform that for a long time, IMD is issuing wear forecast for entire region of Jammu, Kashmir and Lakh. Whichever regions are re under this area, we are issuing wear forecast on a daily basis at a national level. At a regional level, it was t being mentioned but since past two days, it has been started. All those places (illegally occupied by Pakistan) comes under Indian territory."

IMD has started including Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarab, which are parts of PoK, under Jammu and Kashmir meteorological sub-division since May 5, said Kuldeep Srivastava, he of Regional Meteorological Department that gives a forecast for rthwest meteorological division of IMD. 

se cities of PoK have w found a place in overall forecast of rthwest division.  rthwest division consists of nine sub-divisions  Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Presh, Uttarakhand, Delhi-Chandigarh-Haryana, Punjab, east Uttar Presh, west Uttar Presh, east Rajasthan and west Rajasthan. 

India lodges protest with Islamab 

This comes days after  Pakistan Supreme Court allowed Islamab to amend a 2018 ministrative order to conduct general elections in region. Gilgit-Baltistan Order of 2018 provided for ministrative changes, including authorizing Prime Minister of Pakistan to legislate on an array of subjects.

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Following decision, India conveyed its strong protest to Pakistan over its efforts to bring "material change" to territories under its "illegal and forcible" occupation.  Ministry of External Affairs said a demarche was issued to a senior Pakistani diplomat lodging a strong protest over court ruling and clearly conveying that entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Lakh, including areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India.

'Areas of Gilgit and Baltistan are an integral part of India'

"It was furr conveyed that such actions can neir hide illegal occupation of parts of Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Lakh by Pakistan r grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom to people residing in Pakistan occupied territories for past seven deces," it said in a statement.

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MEA said government of Pakistan or its judiciary has locus standi on territories "illegally and forcibly" occupied by it. "It was clearly conveyed that entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Lakh, including areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession," MEA said.

It said India protested Islamab's efforts to "bring material change in Pakistan occupied territories" and asked it to vacate m. "India completely rejects such actions and continued attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied areas of Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir," MEA said. "Inste, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation," it ded.

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(With PTI inputs)