On May 7, 2020, In the midst of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis, the Regional Meteorological Centre of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), has included the areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad, which are parts of PoK (Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir) in its weather forecasting for the 1st time.
The department taken this decision as it says that it is a part of India and the country always maintains its position that PoK belongs to India.
Key Points:
i.The agency has included the regions as part of its meteorological sub-division of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in its daily forecast for ‘north-west India’.
ii.According to IMD, these cities of PoK fall under the North-West Division of IMD. The North-West Division of IMD has nine subdivisions. These include Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi-Chandigarh-Haryana, Punjab, east Uttar Pradesh, west Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan and west Rajasthan.
iii.Background: The inclusion in the forecast comes amid the Supreme Court of Pakistan, in its recent order, allowed the amendment of the ‘Government of Gilgit Baltistan Order’ of 2018 to conduct general elections in the region.
Immediately after this, India had objected that Pakistan does not have the right over the territories which it has occupied by force and illegally.
About Indian Meteorological Department (IMD):
Headquarters– New Delhi
Parent organization– Ministry of Earth Sciences
Director General– Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra
