In a move that would encourage India’s claim on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), the British Parliament has passed a motion condemning Pakistan’s recent announcement of declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province saying the region is a legal and constitutional part of Jammu and Kashmir and is an integral part of India, illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.

“Gilgit-Baltistan is a legal and constitutional part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947, and where people are denied their fundamental rights including the right of freedom of expression,” the motion read. The motion was tabled and sponsored on March by Conservative Party leader Bob Blackman who stated that Pakistan by making such an announcement is attempting to annexe the already disputed area.

The motion further criticised the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and noted that it’s an attempt to change the demography of the region which is the violation of the State Subject Ordinance.

The Gilgit-Baltistan area is Pakistan’s northernmost administrative territory that borders the disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Recently, Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s Foreign Affair advisor Sartaz Aziz had recommended Gilgit-Baltistan to give a provincial status.

Pakistan has four provinces in form of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Over the years, New Delhi has fervently maintained that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, which includes areas currently under Pakistan occupation, is an integral part of the Union of India.