Islamabad, August 8: A day after the Pakistan government decided to “downgrade” diplomatic ties and bilateral trade relations with New Delhi, the Indian ministry of external affairs asked Islamabad on Thursday to reconsider its decision in order to preserve the “normal channels for diplomatic communications”.
MEA, in an official statement issued on Thursday, said, “The intention behind these measures is obviously to present an alarming picture to the world of our bilateral ties. The reasons cited by Pakistan are not supported by facts on the ground.”
The statement added, “The recent developments pertaining to Article 370 are entirely the internal affair of India. The constitution of India was, is and will always be a sovereign matter.”
Pakistan announced on Wednesday it will end diplomatic ties with India and sends back Indian High Commissioner, Ajay Bisaria, in Islamabad, putting forth a five-point plan including suspension of bilateral trade system and an end to the bilateral and diplomatic relations, hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s move to unilaterally scrap Article 370 and end special status for Jammu and Kashmir, splitting it into two union territories.
https://twitter.com/pid_gov/status/1159095239249973248
The government of Pakistan, which claims some region of Kashmir, stated it would summon its own diplomat chiefs based in New Delhi.
In an official statement released by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan-headed, national security committee, said India’s decision regarding Kashmir would be in place because of the “illegal actions” taken by the Indian government in place which has a Muslim majority.
The statement from the committee stated India’s scrapping Article 370 would be raised by the Pakistan government with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which refers to Kashmir as a disputed region.