ISLAMABAD – India was irked over Pakistan as it today again rejected aspreposterous and without any legal basis objection to Islamabad’s effortstowards incorporating the disputed Gilgit-Baltistan region as its fifthprovince.

Pakistan’s Cabinet on May 21 approved Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018. Civilrights groups in Pakistan have criticised the order.

India says the region belongs to it and that Pakistan’s action has no legalsupport. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal, addressing his weeklybriefing, rejected India’s objection to recent reform in Gilgit-Baltistan(GB) region as preposterous and without any legal basis.

From this podium, I challenge India to let the United Nations carry out afree and fair plebiscite in Jammu & Kashmir, as envisaged in the UNSCResolutions, so that the Kashmiris are able to decide their future as pertheir aspirations. Pakistan is confident that Jammu & Kashmir would sidewith Pakistan, he claimed.

Faisal also said that Pakistan maintained its consistent position that onlythrough dialogue, issues can be resolved between the two countries. It isIndia that has imposed conditionalities on the dialogue process, he said.

He also accused India of pushing South Asia into a “vicious arms race” byits military buildup coupled with “hegemonic designs”.He also warned of abefitting response in case of any misadventure by India.

“Pakistan wants to live in peace, however, if aggression is thrust upon us,it would be duly punished. Let there be no mistake. We expect maturity fromIndia in this regard, he said.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj last month had insisted that hergovernment has not said no to comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan but thatterror and talks could not go together.