The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has started to include Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Muzaffarabad in its meteorological sub-division of Jammu & Kashmir.
The daily region-wise forecasts are for the entire sub-division, and not for any specific areas within. The first such forecast for Gilgit was uploaded on 6 May.
The move by IMD reflects the changed status of Ladakh as a separate Union Territory (UT).
The shift can be perceived as subtle diplomacy in claiming India’s rights over Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The IMD’s move comes just days after Pakistan’s Supreme Court allowed that country’s government to conduct elections in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
In response, India told Pakistan that it has no locus standi in Gilgit-Baltistan and asked Islamabad to vacate PoK, which is an integral part of India.
It was clearly conveyed that the entire UT of J&K and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession.
