US says India did not consult it before revoking J-K’s special status

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Updated: Jun 11, 2020 22:01 IST

New Delhi did not consult or inform Washington about its decision to revoke special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the US’ state department said on Wednesday.

“Contrary to press reporting, the Indian government did not consult or inform the US Government before moving to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status,” the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the US State Department posted on Twitter.

Contrary to press reporting, the Indian government did not consult or inform the US Government before moving to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status. - AGW — State_SCA (@State_SCA) August 7, 2019

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The tweet was signed by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells.

Wells arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday to hold key bilateral talks with Pakistani leaders on issues like the peace process in Afghanistan amid reports that she might also hold discussions over the current situation in Kashmir after India scrapped Article 370 which gave special status to the state. Parliament also approved a reorganization bill to carve the state into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

India’s move to scrap Article 370 came days after US President Donald Trump reiterated his offer to mediate the Kashmir issue despite New Delhi rejecting his earlier bid in July.

The external affairs ministry had briefed foreign envoys including those of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council on Monday after the Rajya Sabha passed the resolution to revoke Article 370.