New Delhi, October 31: India lodged strong protests over a proposed bus service between Pakistan and China through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday. The proposed bus service is a violation of India's sovereignty and territorial integrity, it added.

"We have lodged strong protests with China and Pakistan on the proposed bus service that will operate through Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJ&K) under the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’," Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the ministry told media while responding to media queries regarding the proposed bus service. Pakistan Takes U-Turn; Says Saudi Won't Be Part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

According to reports, the new bus service will be launched between Lahore in Pakistan and Kashgar in China via Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on November 13. Kumar said it has been India's consistent and well-known position that the "so-called China-Pakistan 'Boundary Agreement' of 1963 is illegal and invalid, and has never been recognised by the Government of India." To Keep Eye on India, China Launches Two Satelites For Pakistan.

"Therefore, any such bus service through Pakistan Occupied Jammu & Kashmir will be a violation of India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added. The USD 50-billion CPEC, launched in 2015, is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2018 11:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).