Pakistan Summons Indian Envoy on Kashmir, Reaches Out to Allies
- Pakistan Summons Indian Envoy on Kashmir, Reaches Out to Allies
by Asad Hashim, https://www.aljazeera.com/
‘Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps,’ foreign office says.
Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan has summoned the Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad to register the country’s “unequivocal rejection” of India’s decision to scrap a special status for India-administered Kashmir, simultaneously ramping up efforts to mobilise international support against the move.
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“[Pakistan’s] foreign secretary conveyed Pakistan’s unequivocal rejection of these illegal actions as they are in breach of international law and several UN Security Council resolutions,” read a Pakistani government statement released after Monday’s meeting.
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Earlier in the day, India‘s Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah told parliament in New Delhi that the president signed a decree abolishing Article 370 of the constitution that gave special autonomy to the India-administered portion of the Muslim-majority Himalayan region.
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The announcement came after days of an escalated crackdown by Indian security forces on separatists in the disputed region, with thousands of troops deployed, a lockdown curfew imposed on parts of the state, a telecommunications shutdown and the arrest of political leaders.
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Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also spoke with the leaders of Turkey and Malaysia to brief them on the situation on Monday, according to statements from his office.
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“[PM Khan] underscored that this illegal move by India would deteriorate the peace and security of the region and would further undermine the relations between two neighbors with strategic capabilities,” read the statement on his call with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed.
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