Pema Khandu condemns UN map depicting Arunachal Pradesh separately from India

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has condemned a recently published United Nations map that depicted Arunachal Pradesh separately from India, calling the portrayal unacceptable and asserting the state’s status as an integral part of India.

 

Reacting to the map, Khandu said that, on behalf of the people of Arunachal Pradesh, he strongly condemned the depiction and maintained that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inseparable part of India.

 

The controversy follows the publication of a UN map that showed Arunachal Pradesh as a separate region positioned between Indian and Chinese border claims, while also depicting Aksai Chin separately. India has since flagged what it described as “anomalies” in the map with the concerned authorities.

 

The Indian government has reiterated that its support for a UN General Assembly resolution on more accurate and equitable cartographic representation should not be interpreted as approval of any specific map. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had taken up the anomalies with the concerned persons.

 

The UN map, first published on July 1, reportedly depicted Arunachal Pradesh as an independent state bordering Assam and China and removed its border with Nagaland. The map also showed Aksai Chin as a separate region. The UN has not publicly explained the changes described in the report.

 

Khandu’s remarks come amid renewed attention to the cartographic depiction of Arunachal Pradesh and India’s long-standing position on the state’s territorial status.