NEW DELHI, Aug 8, 2019 (BSS)- India today urged Pakistan to review its decision of downgrading diplomatic ties following New Delhi’s move to strip special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
“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,” foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a statement here.
The government of India regrets the steps announced by Pakistan yesterday and would urge that country to review them so that normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved, the statement said.
“The intention behind these measures was obviously to present an alarming picture to the world of our bilateral ties,” it said adding that the reasons cited by Pakistan were not supported by facts on the ground. The statement said that the recent decisions by the government and parliament of India are driven by a commitment to extend to Jammu and Kashmir opportunities for development that were earlier denied by a temporary provision in the constitution.
“Its impact would also result in the removal of gender and socio-economic discrimination. It is also expected to result in an upswing of economic activity and improvement in the livelihood prospects of all people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
The statement added, “It is not surprising that such developmental initiatives that could address any disaffection in Jammu and Kashmir should be negatively perceived in Pakistan, which has utilized such sentiments to justify its cross-border terrorism”.
Referring to scrapping of the Article 370 of the constitution, the statement said that seeking to interfere in that jurisdiction by invoking an alarmist vision of the region will never succeed.
On Wednesday, Pakistan had expelled the Indian envoy in Islamabad and had announced a five-point plan that included downgrading its ties with India and suspending bilateral trade.