Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif joined the leaders of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan on Thursday 12 May, 2016 for the launching ceremony of CASA-1000 Power Project, in front of a map which depicted Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir as part of India.
The gaffe was picked by Pakistani social media who slammed the Pakistani government for its failure to get the wrong map removed before the launching ceremony.
Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, said the matter was already taken up with Tajik authorities. “Federal Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif spotted the wrong map and conveyed it to Tajik authorities instantly,” Fatemi said, adding that brochures provided to delegates were showing a correct map.
Pakistan Peoples Party's Chairman Bilawal Bhutto also shared the map on Twitter, which showed show two areas as Indian territory.
Pakistan's Awami Muslim League (AML) head Sheikh Rashid blamed the Pakistani Foreign Office for the blunder. “It is not the Prime Minister’s job to check maps during foreign tours. Diplomatic staff accompanying the prime minister should have pointed out the error to local authorities,” he said.
Pakistan's All Kashmir Hurriyat Council (AKHC) Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani said that Jammu and Kashmir was a disputed territory. He urged Pakistan to raise the Kashmir dispute with courage and determination. “India is snatching everything from Kashmir, which has laid down thousands of lives in its struggle for freedom,” he said. Source
Stay tuned for more updates! Jai Hind!