当地时间8月5日，印度政府宣布废除宪法赋予印控克什米尔地区过去70年一直享有的特殊地位。对于不知情的外人来说，这似乎属于印度的内政。

然而，事实并非如此。印度政府提出“查谟和克什米尔重组法案”（Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill），成立“拉达克中央直辖区”，试图将该争议地区直接变为其国家领土。

巴基斯坦和中国都对此表示反对，称印度的这一举动是非法且不具有任何效力的。此外，其他一些国家也呼吁印度应谨慎行事，因为这并不像印度外交部所宣称的那样，是一件简单的印度内部事务。

印度和巴基斯坦都宣称对克什米尔拥有完整主权，因此巴基斯坦谴责印度的决定是非法的，称克什米尔是国际社会承认的争议地区。

此外，印度宣布成立的“拉达克中央直辖区”涉及中印边界西段的中国领土，因此中方认为印度方面的做法“不可接受，也不会产生任何效力”。中国外交部6日回应称，中方一直反对印方将中印边界西段的中方领土划入印行政管辖范围，这一立场是坚定、一贯的，从无任何改变。

早在今年大选期间，印度人民党就做出了废除印控克什米尔地区特殊地位的承诺，但兑现承诺要冒的政治风险却是极高的。为了实现诺言而侵犯邻国领土主权，可见印度此举实在不明智。

目前，巴基斯坦已请求联合国及其他国家对此进行干预。中国也敦促印度在边界问题上谨言慎行，严格遵守双方达成的相关协定，避免采取导致边界问题进一步复杂化的举动。

中印边界除了2017年的洞朗对峙之外，在几十年的时间里都基本上保持和平，这是因为双方都保持克制，避免采取挑衅行动。印度国内法律上的任何修改都不会改变克什米尔地区作为国际法争议领土的性质，利用国内立法对中国领土主张主权，这显然是中国无法接受的。

这样的做法即便不会对中印关系造成直接的实质性伤害，但也将不可避免地带来一些负面影响。中国和印度作为两个人口众多的邻国，会在越来越多共同关心的问题上越走越近。印度的确应该谨慎行事，否则只会适得其反。

（注：英文原文在8月8日刊发的《中国日报》第九版）

（翻译：高琳琳 编辑：党超峰 周凤梅）

India should avoid recklessly complicating boundary issues: China Daily editorial

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party stripped the disputed Kashmir region of its seven-decade autonomy and special status on Monday.

Which, to uninformed outsiders may sound like an internal affair of India.

The BJP government-proposed "Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill" seeks to divide the state into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, which will have an elected legislature, and Ladakh, which will be ruled directly by the central government.

Which, again, may seem to be no one's business but its own.

But both Pakistan and China have voiced opposition, saying it's illegal, and several other governments have appealed for caution on New Delhi's part. Because it is not, as the Indian Foreign Ministry claimed, a simple internal affair of India's.

While it does concern "the territory of India", as New Delhi insists, it concerns those of others' as well.

Islamabad has condemned New Delhi's decision as "illegal", stating Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory. Both India and Pakistan claim it in its entirety.

Beijing, too, has declared the move as "unacceptable" and that it "will not be in any sense binding".

This is because India's claim over Ladakh, as part of Kashmir, involves Chinese territory.

Beijing has emphasized it opposes "India's inclusion of Chinese territory in the western sector of the China-India boundary into its administrative jurisdiction", saying such a practice is unacceptable and will not come into force.

The BJP may have very high political stakes in honoring such a campaign promise, but a political maneuver like this is unadvisable because it violates the sovereignty of neighboring countries.

Pakistan has asked the United Nations and other countries to intervene. China has urged India to abide by bilateral agreements and avoid acts that further complicate border issues.

The China-India border, except the 2017 Doklam standoff, has by and large remained peaceful over the past decades, because both sides have practiced restraint and avoided provocative moves.

No change made to India's domestic laws will change the related area's nature as disputed territory in international law.

But using India's domestic legislation to claim jurisdiction over a piece of Chinese territory is certainly unacceptable to China.

Even without inflicting immediate tangible damage on bilateral ties, this move will inevitably have negative consequences. Which will be very  counterproductive as the two populous neighbors find increasing needs to get closer on matters of common interest.

India should exercise prudence.