india

Updated: Sep 18, 2019 18:04 IST

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday declared that there will be no bilateral talks with India until what he calls “curfew” is lifted from Jammu and Kashmir.

New Delhi has maintained that there is no curfew in Jammu and Kashmir, which is now a Union Territory of India.

The Centre on August 5 through a presidential order scrapped Article 370, which provided for Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and divided the state into two Union Territories.

Last week, Khan, at a rally in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, said he will go to the world as “Kashmir ka safir (ambassador)”.

“I want to tell Modi and Hindustan (India) that I will travel the world as Kashmir ka safir (ambassador). I will tell the world what RSS stands for,” said Khan.

Pakistan had on Tuesday asked the UN human right body to ensure that India ends the restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir and restores fundamental rights and liberties in the region after the revocation of its special status in August.

India has described the changes in Kashmir as an internal matter and said Pakistan has no locus standi in the matter. India countered Pakistan’s efforts to internationalise the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir at UNHRC by saying the Pakistani leadership is using the issue to promote cross-border terrorism.

The United States has reiterated its support for “direct dialogue” between India and Pakistan to resolve Kashmir issue rebuffing once again Islamabad’s continuing efforts to seek American mediation, or by any other third-party such as the United Nations.