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India on Thursday lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its plans to hold “General Elections” to the so-called “Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly” in territories that New Delhi said are illegally and forcibly occupied by Islamabad.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the elections are scheduled to take place on June 7, 2026.

India Reiterates Position On J&K, Ladakh

In its statement, the MEA reiterated India’s longstanding position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, are “integral and inalienable parts of India”.

MEA says - "The Government of India lodged a strong protest with Pakistan regarding the latter’s plans to hold “General Elections” to the so-called “Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly”, in the Indian territories illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan, scheduled for 7 June 2026.

The… pic.twitter.com/7AcUu5oQBL

— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2026

The government said this status stems from the “complete, legal and irrevocable accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India in 1947”.

MEA Raises Human Rights Concerns

India also said Pakistan’s attempts to conduct elections in the region could not hide what it described as serious concerns within the territories under Pakistan’s control.

“The Government of India further emphasized that such endeavours by Pakistan cannot mask the underlying issues of grave human rights violations, political repression, economic exploitation and denial of freedom in territories illegally occupied by Pakistan,” the MEA said.

India Rejects Pakistan's Attempts 

The MEA said India “categorically rejects” any move by Pakistan aimed at bringing material changes to areas under its control.

The statement further underlined that such actions cannot change India’s position that Pakistan continues to remain in illegal occupation of Indian territories.

India also asserted that Pakistan “must vacate” the territories under its illegal occupation.