Washington DC/Islamabad, August 8: A top-level US diplomat has on Wednesday dismissed reports India shared its plan about scrapping Article 370 and removing the special status for Indian-occupied Kashmir (IOK) with the United States.
The US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs issued an official statement that read: “Contrary to press reporting, the Indian government did not consult or inform the US government before moving to revoke IOK’s special constitutional status.”
The statement has been attributed to Alice Wells, the assistant secretary for South Asia, who is expected to pay an official visit to Pakistan, according to Dawn news reports.
Indian media reports citing sources had claimed external affairs minister S Jaishankar had apprised US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on August 1 about the Kashmir plan. It has suggested both the nations had communicated over the issue several times.
It was claimed earlier in February after two days of deadly Pulwama terror attack, Indian national security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval had made a phone call to White House national security advisor John Bolton, during which they discussed the plans to end the special status of Kashmir.
Similarly, it was also said the Jaishankar had briefed the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) five-permanent member states and international media over the scrapping of Article 370 of the Indian constitution and also the bifurcation of Kashmir.
The US statement infers Washington has removed itself from the questionable Indian activity after Pakistan’s extraordinary response.
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had, in his discourse at the joint session of parliament, asserted the Pakistan government was not gotten unprepared. He said a letter kept in touch with the UN secretary-general on Aug 1 had referenced Pakistan’s worries about the conceivable Indian activity of ending occupied-Kashmir’s self-rule, while European Union (EU) nations were informed about it on Aug 3.