Congress objects to UN map depiction of Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar: The Congress in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday objected to the depiction of the state in a recently released UN world map, saying it is an integral part of India and should not be shown as a disputed territory.

In a statement, Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bosiram Siram said any international map that creates ambiguity about the state's territorial status is unacceptable.

He asserted that no foreign claim, map or nomenclature can alter India's sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh.


Siram said the party supports the Centre's objection to any inaccurate or misleading representation of the country's territory.

He said India's support for a UN General Assembly resolution on equal-area cartographic representation was aimed at improving the accuracy of world map projections and should not be interpreted as acceptance of any particular boundary or territorial claim.

"An imaginary or virtual map, however influential, cannot create, transfer or extinguish sovereignty over a territory," Siram said, adding that Arunachal Pradesh has been administered as part of India since Independence through constitutional, administrative and democratic institutions.

The senior Congress leader said the people of the state have consistently participated in the country's democratic process and remain an integral part of the Indian Union.

The APCC urged the UN to review and correct the depiction of Arunachal Pradesh and ensure that future maps and geographical databases accurately reflect India's established territorial position.

Siram said India's response should go beyond diplomatic objections and focus on strengthening its presence in frontier areas through better roads, communication networks, logistics, security infrastructure and economic development.

The APCC reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is a vital frontier of India and said stronger development and national presence in border areas would provide the most effective response to cartographic and territorial assertions.

"The position that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India is non-negotiable," Siram said, stressing that the state must remain secure, connected, developed and constitutionally protected.

In response to media queries regarding the UN General Assembly resolution on equal-area world map, the government's official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal recently said the resolution neither adopts nor authenticates any particular world map, nor does it address political cartography, including international boundaries, disputed territories or place names.

"India voted in favour of the resolution and also made an explanation of vote, stressing the underlying principle of promoting equal-area cartographic representation. We also highlighted that the resolution does not constitute endorsement of any specific map, projection or depiction of national boundaries. India's sovereign territory...must be depicted in accordance with India's official map. Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable. Our position on India's sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear, consistent and non-negotiable," he stated.