Saudi Arabia's newest banknote, released in honour of the country hosting the G20 summit this year, has sparked outrage in India as it ignores New Delhi’s territorial claims over Kashmir. The banknote in question, which was released into circulation on 24 October, shows a world map on one of its sides, with the entirety of Jammu and Kashmir appearing to have borders with India, China, and Pakistan, while also being coloured differently from India, suggesting independence from all three states.
In fact, India governs roughly half of the region, separated from the Pakistan-administered part by the Line of Control (LoC). China, in turn, controls a small portion of Kashmir, including the Aksai Chin region.
Indian government spokesperson Anurag Srivastava has condemned the depiction of the region on the banknote of Saudi Arabia, which New Delhi has normal relations with, and called on Riyadh to change the image. Srivastava added that the issue had been raised through diplomatic channels with Saudi Arabia, noting that Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the Ladakh region, "are integral parts of India".
"We have taken up this gross misrepresentation of India’s external territorial boundaries on an official and legal banknote of Saudi Arabia […] We have asked the Saudi side to take urgent corrective steps in this regard", Srivastava said.
The dispute over the new banknote could jeopardise the 2020 G20 Summit that the note is celebrating, as India is expected to be one of the attending parties. The India Today media outlet reported, citing an anonymous source, that New Delhi may skip the event should Riyadh fail to change the banknote so that the region is no longer shown as if it were independent.
Jammu and Kashmir Conflict
Pakistan and India have both had territorial claims over Kashmir since gaining independence in 1947 and have waged several bloody wars attempting to gain total control over it. Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the Line of Control was established separating the two countries' positions in the disputed region. No political solution to the conflict has been reached yet, with minor clashes erupting sporadically between the sides over the 50 years since introducing the LoC.
One of the latest conflicts broke out in February 2019, when Indian forces carried out airstrikes in the Pakistani part of the region in retaliation for attacks by the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM), which is purportedly based there. The attack led to the loss of at least one Indian Air Force fighter jet after it was shot down by Pakistani forces. Pakistan condemned India's violation of its airspace, while New Delhi accused Islamabad of harbouring terrorists on territories adjacent to the LoC.
The incident led to several exchanges of fire between the forces of New Delhi and Islamabad, which lasted until a truce was struck on 22 March ending the hostilities. Following the standoff, the Indian government revoked the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir, despite the protests from Pakistan.