Google Insights for Search, a tool which shows search volume patterns across specific regions, shows a truncated map of India with PoK missing from it
MUMBAI: The world’s most popular search engine, Google, seems to have gifted Pakistan occupied Kashmir to Pakistan once again. Google Insights for Search, a tool which shows search volume patterns across specific regions, shows a truncated map of India with PoK missing from it.
TOI discussed the matter with Google India and received an email statement from the spokesperson, saying, “We are looking into the issue and will alert the relevant product group for further action.”
This isn’t the first time that Google has goofed up when it comes to the map of India. “A few months ago Google Analytics, a statistics tool for websites, showed a similar map of India with PoK marked in Pakistan’s territory,” said a product manager of a leading website.
And, in 2005, Google Earth made headlines over its political map of the sub-continent, which had a clearly defined boundary between Pakistan and India with PoK on the Pakistani side of the map.
Pakistan isn’t the only area over which Google’s maps have caused a stir. A year ago, Google’s satellite maps created an uproar across India as they showed parts of Arunachal Pradesh marked in Mandarin instead Hindi or English, which made them appear as if they were part of China.
Google’s maps are a deviation from the ones published by the Survey of India. “There has been no change in the map of India since 1947. If there is any site with a different image of the map of India, and it is brought to our notice, we will take action against them,” a Survey of India official said from Dehradun.
“It is wrong of Google to show PoK as part of Pakistan. If Google did not want to show it as part of India, it could have been shown it as a disputed territory. The Pakistani constitution does not recognise PoK as part of Pakistan, while India has 25 assembly seats reserved in the J&K assembly for PoK,’’ says Vijay Bakaya, ex-J&K chief secretary.
TOI discussed the matter with Google India and received an email statement from the spokesperson, saying, “We are looking into the issue and will alert the relevant product group for further action.”
This isn’t the first time that Google has goofed up when it comes to the map of India. “A few months ago Google Analytics, a statistics tool for websites, showed a similar map of India with PoK marked in Pakistan’s territory,” said a product manager of a leading website.
And, in 2005, Google Earth made headlines over its political map of the sub-continent, which had a clearly defined boundary between Pakistan and India with PoK on the Pakistani side of the map.
Pakistan isn’t the only area over which Google’s maps have caused a stir. A year ago, Google’s satellite maps created an uproar across India as they showed parts of Arunachal Pradesh marked in Mandarin instead Hindi or English, which made them appear as if they were part of China.
Google’s maps are a deviation from the ones published by the Survey of India. “There has been no change in the map of India since 1947. If there is any site with a different image of the map of India, and it is brought to our notice, we will take action against them,” a Survey of India official said from Dehradun.
“It is wrong of Google to show PoK as part of Pakistan. If Google did not want to show it as part of India, it could have been shown it as a disputed territory. The Pakistani constitution does not recognise PoK as part of Pakistan, while India has 25 assembly seats reserved in the J&K assembly for PoK,’’ says Vijay Bakaya, ex-J&K chief secretary.
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