The external affairs ministry said on Tuesday that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were “integral and inalienable” parts of India. The response followed a joint press communiqué issued after the eighth round of the Pakistan-European Union Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad on 1 June, co-chaired by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
Official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi “categorically rejected” what it described as unwarranted references in the communiqué. He said the remarks concerned matters internal to India and that no third party had locus standi to comment on them. The statement reflected New Delhi’s long-held position that Jammu and Kashmir is not open to external intervention or international mediation.
The disputed paragraph in the communiqué said the Pakistan side briefed the EU on Jammu and Kashmir, while the EU side briefed Pakistan on Russia’s war against Ukraine. It added that both sides supported the peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter. New Delhi objected to the inclusion of Jammu and Kashmir in that formulation, viewing it as a diplomatic opening for Pakistan to internationalise a subject India treats as settled within its constitutional and sovereign framework.
The exchange has added a sensitive note to India’s engagement with the European Union at a time when both sides are attempting to deepen strategic, trade and technology ties. The EU is one of India’s major trading partners, and negotiations over a free trade agreement have gathered momentum after several rounds of talks. New Delhi has also built closer cooperation with Brussels on maritime security, climate action, connectivity, digital regulation and supply-chain resilience.
The timing is diplomatically awkward because the EU is also seeking to maintain channels with Pakistan on migration, trade preferences, counterterrorism, human rights and regional security. The Islamabad dialogue covered the EU-Pakistan Strategic Engagement Plan of 2019, the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus framework, migration and labour mobility, Afghanistan, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran-related diplomacy and multilateral cooperation. Pakistan has a strong interest in retaining preferential access to European markets under the GSP+ system, while Brussels has used that framework to press for compliance with human rights and governance commitments.
New Delhi’s objection also comes after another rebuke last month over a China-Pakistan joint statement that mentioned Jammu and Kashmir. India then said the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are and will always remain” integral parts of the country. It also objected to references to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying projects passing through Pakistan-occupied territory violated India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Pakistan has consistently sought to raise Kashmir in bilateral and multilateral forums, arguing that it remains an unresolved dispute requiring international attention. India has maintained that issues with Pakistan must be addressed bilaterally, and that meaningful engagement is not possible without an end to cross-border terrorism. That divergence has shaped South Asian diplomacy for decades and continues to complicate outside powers’ engagement with both capitals.
For the European Union, the wording carries broader implications. Brussels has positioned itself as a defender of sovereignty and territorial integrity in the context of Ukraine, while also using diplomatic dialogue to retain influence in South Asia. New Delhi’s reaction suggests it sees any parallel reference to Jammu and Kashmir as diplomatically unacceptable, particularly when placed near language on conflicts and the UN Charter.
The controversy is unlikely to derail wider India-EU cooperation, but it could prompt Brussels to exercise greater caution in future formulations involving Pakistan. India has become a central partner for the EU’s Indo-Pacific approach, with cooperation extending across trade, green technology, semiconductors, defence consultations and connectivity. At the same time, the EU’s Pakistan channel serves its interests in migration control, counterterrorism dialogue and regional stability after the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.
