Indo-UK joint military exercise in Ladakh is illegitimate: Pak FO

The Pakistan Foreign Office has said that the ongoing joint military exercise between India and the UK in Ladakh is illegitimate.

Islamabad, Sep 25 : The Pakistan Foreign Office has said that the ongoing joint military exercise between India and the UK in Ladakh is illegitimate.

Pakistan has lodged a formal protest with the Government of both the countries, as Ladakh is a part of the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, Foreign Office (FO) spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told reporters.

"This is not a legitimate activity because Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised disputed territory and more than anybody else the British should be aware of it," Aslam said.

"We have sent demarches to both the British Government and the Indian Government," she added.

The Pakistan High Commission in London had also registered a protest with the British Government against the 25-day high altitude joint military exercise that kicked off last week, the Daily Times quoted Aslam, as saying.

Commenting on New Delhi's nod to civilian for trekking to the disputed Siachen region, Aslam said that Islamabad has already lodged a protest with India.

On the Indian military aggression and presence in Siachen, and all other activities, she said that they are a clear violation of the Shimla Agreement.

"We are not considering any military action ... we will raise the issue in the composite dialogue," Aslam added.

Denying that there is any intelligence report, which suggests that Pakistan might cut the number of troops battling terrorists in the tribal areas, she said Pakistan only believed in the US Government officials who had been openly praising its commitment to the war on terror.

ANI