Srinagar, June 5 -- Srinagar- India said on Thursday it had lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over Islamabad's plans to hold elections to the Gilgit-Baltistan assembly, reiterating its claim that the region is part of Indian territory and accusing Pakistan of attempting to alter the status of areas under its control.

Pakistan is scheduled to hold general elections for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly on June 7 in the mountainous region that India claims as part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said New Delhi had conveyed its objections to Islamabad and reaffirmed its position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgi...