MEA says UN-backed map should show J&K, Ladakh as per India's official map

New Delhi: India on Sunday said any world map produced under the United Nations must depict the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in line with the country’s official map, making it clear that any inaccurate or misleading representation would not be acceptable.

The statement came two days after India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution aimed at correcting global maps and promoting a more accurate representation of continental landmasses, The New Indian Express reported.

The resolution, titled “Correct the Map: Rebalancing Global Cartographic Representation and Promoting Equitable Representation of the World's Regions, Particularly Africa”, was adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 4.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had clarified through its explanation of the vote that supporting the resolution did not amount to endorsing any particular map, projection or representation of national boundaries.

He said India backed the resolution because of its underlying objective of promoting equal-area cartographic representation.

Responding to a media query, Jaiswal stressed that India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be shown according to the country’s official map. He added that India’s position on its sovereignty and territorial integrity remained clear, consistent and non-negotiable.

Jaiswal explained that the UN resolution was intended to encourage the use of equal-area map projections that accurately preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses.

He also clarified that the resolution neither adopted nor authenticated any specific world map and did not deal with political cartography, including international borders, disputed territories or place names.

The resolution, sponsored by Togo, was passed with 164 countries voting in favour. Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstained, while the United States was the only country to vote against it.