NEW DELHI|BENGALURU: Pakistan expressed “serious concerns” over India ’s controversial draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill with regard to the depiction of Jammu & Kashmir in maps, prompting the Indian government to dismiss the neighbouring country’s claim, saying it had no locus standi in an internal matter.Letters have been sent to the United Nations Secretary General and the President of the Security Council expressing “serious concerns” over the Indian government’s efforts to introduce the Geospatial bill in parliament, Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement. “In violation of UNSC resolutions, the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu & Kashmir as part of India, which is factually incorrect and legally untenable. Through the passage of this bill, the Indian government would penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu & Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions,” it said.A spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said there was no merit in Pakistan’s claim. “The proposed bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India, since the whole of the state of J&K is an integral part of India. Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi in the matter,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson rejected “Pakistan’s repeated and increasing attempts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally with Pakistan.” Earlier this month, the Indian government released the draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, which proposed the requirement of a licence from a government “security vetting authority” for anyone mapping the country by satellite or aerial platform. Experts rejected Pakistan’s claim, saying maps are not a part of international law and existing UN resolutions. “There is no violation of law that happens either through India depicting through official government sources a particular map or by India telling others to depict such maps within India,” said Pranesh Prakash, policy director at the Centre of Internet and Society. The Pakistani ministry asked the UN to “uphold the UNSC resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law.”“We have urged the international community and the United Nations to fulfil their commitment with the people of Jammu & Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices,” it added. In 2010, Jammu & Kashmir was removed from the UNSC list of unresolved disputes under the observation of the Council. “Those resolutions don’t say anything about maps, either. There is no requirement in international law that certain kinds of maps or boundaries be depicted anywhere and the Pakistani claim is utterly without basis,” said Prakash.The Bill has come under fire from industry and individuals, not just because of the proposed seven years in jail and fine of up to Rs 100 crore for non-compliance with guidelines but also because it could seriously harm India’s startups and businesses, which make extensive use of geospatial information. In its current form, it could also mean an individual clicking a picture carrying geospatial information would be liable to seek a licence.