India accuses the UK of abusing its sovereignty by sending an envoy to Kashmir.

Delhi has always insisted that the area is a "integral part" of India and has accused Pakistan of "illegal occupation" of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has sent a "strong protest" to the British High Commissioner in New Delhi against the visit to Pakistan-administered Kashmir by UK envoy Jane Marriott.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasized that New Delhi had taken "serious note of the highly objectionable visit" to Mirpur in "Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)" on January 10th, which included Marriott and a UK Foreign Office official.The Indian statement emphasized that "the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are, have been, and shall remain an integral part of India."Foreign envoys headquartered in Islamabad have been receiving opposition from New Delhi regarding their visits to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.In October of last year, India officially protested to Washington about a same visit to the area made by the US ambassador in Islamabad.Since 1948, Pakistan has governed a portion of Kashmir that it refers to as "Azad Kashmir.

" This occurred after terrorists supported by Islamabad took control of a significant portion of the area following the formal annexation of the former monarchy by India by Maharaja Hari Singh.In order to block the terrorists' progress, the former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru sent troops along the Line of Control (LoC), a line of truce. A clause in the Indian Constitution that granted Jammu and Kashmir, a former state, special status was formally repealed by the Indian Parliament in 2019. Additionally, the Parliament decided to divide the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into the union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

After protesting to the Indian Parliament's decision, Pakistan has insisted that the restoration of Kashmir's special status is a requirement for the start of new negotiations between the two countries. Meanwhile, New Delhi rejects Islamabad's "interference" in matters pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir.With 24 seats set aside for the region in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the Indian government continues to uphold the position that Jammu and Kashmir, including PoK, is an essential component of India. Despite this, the British envoy used the fact that 70% of British Pakistanis have roots in Mirpur to justify her visit by emphasizing the close ties between the UK and the region. She also attended talks with local government representatives, business owners, and residents. India has strongly objected to this visit, claiming that it violates its territorial integrity and sovereignty.In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs emphasized how Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are essential components of India. Regarding the issue, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra protested to Alex Ellis, the British High Commissioner in India.