User:Mr. Ibrahem/Jammu

International reactions

 *  – Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday said his country hopes that Indian government's "new measures" will lead to the betterment of people in Jammu and Kashmir, and asked Pakistan to stop using extremist violence as an instrument of policy in the region. Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed Khan, said that Pakistan might move troops from its border with Afghanistan to its border with India, citing the situation in Kashmir. Dismissing the Pakistani envoy's statement as "misleading", Afghanistan's ambassador to the US Roya Rahmani said that such statements that link the situation in Kashmir to the Afghan peace efforts are "reckless, unwarranted and irresponsible."


 *  – Australian High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu commented that "The Indian government has said it is an internal matter and we respect the Indian position on that. Australia's long held view on Kashmir has been that this is the issue that should be resolved bilaterally by both India and Pakistan."


 *  – According to All India Radio, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that "Revocation of Art 370 for Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter of India" and that other states "have no right to say anything about other's domestic affair". On 21 August 2019, Bangladesh officially clarified its position on the abrogation of Article 370 by the Indian Government, saying that this is an internal issue of India.


 *  – Bhutan fully supported India in the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir, and lauded it as very bold, courageous and forward-looking step that will ensure the socio-economic development of Jammu and Kashmir and also bring peace, progress and prosperity to the Union territory. Bhutanese Foreign Minister also said that this is an entirely internal matter of the Government of India.


 *  – Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland stated that "Canada is concerned about the risk of escalation, infringements on civil rights and reports of detentions."


 *  – French President Emmanuel Macron said that France believes that the issue of Kashmir should be resolved bilaterally between India and Pakistan, adding that no other party should be involved, after meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi on 22 August 2019. He also said that France will remain attentive towards ensuring that the "interests and rights" of civilians are duly taken into account on both sides of the Line of Control.


 *  – Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said Germany was closely following developments in the region. "We believe that all further steps of the government must comply with India's Constitution," she said, and urged the government to respect civil rights secured by the law. "We are calling on the Indian government to hold dialogue with the population concerned about its plans, its intentions," Adebahr added. On 24 August 2019, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan conversed with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the situation in Kashmir, emphasising his concerns about "peace and security" and called on the international community to act "urgently".


 *  – Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Iran "is closely monitoring the Indian government's recent decisions on Jammu and Kashmir, and is carefully listening to the explanations provided by the Indian and Pakistani officials for the recent developments". "Iran expects India and Pakistan, as its regional friends and partners, to take effective steps to serve the interests of people of the region by adopting peaceful approaches and dialogue," he said in statements cited by Iran's Tasnim News Agency. A large number of Iranian students held protest demonstrations outside the Indian embassy in Tehran on 8 August 2019 to denounce the Indian decision to scrap the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir. Iranian officials on 15 August forcibly removed anti-India banners on so-called "Kashmir Solidarity day" from Pakistan's consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad. Calling such methods "undiplomatic tactics", Tehran told Islamabad in clear terms that putting such banners against a third country goes against diplomatic norms.


 *  – Israel said that the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter of India. Ron Malka, the Israeli ambassador to India said that "As we see it, it's within Indian borders, something that is internal in India, an Indian issue. We know India is the biggest democracy in the world, (it) respects individual rights, respects the rule of law and I am sure India will resolve this issue in democratic ways and in peaceful ways and that's what we are just waiting to see."


 *  – Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad expressed concern over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir over a telephone call with Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan. The Foreign Ministry in a statement said "Malaysia is monitoring the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Malaysia has close and friendly relations with both India and Pakistan. Malaysia encourages the two close neighbouring countries to re-engage in dialogue and negotiations with a view to de-escalate the on-going situation and finding an amicable solution." On the one year anniversary of Kashmir's special status revocation, Mahathir stated that as he was no longer the premier, he could "speak without restrain and address the Kashmir issue", noting the backlash his previous statements had caused in India; offering no apology for his criticism, Mahathir added that "keeping quiet is not an option when all the tell-tale signs were pointing towards another situation whereby a big and powerful country imposed its will with impunity on a small and defenceless nation."


 *  – An official statement issued by the Government of the Maldives read "The decision taken by the Government of India regarding Article 370 of the Indian Constitution as an internal matter". We believe that it is the right of every sovereign nation to amend their laws as required". Maldives also conveyed their opinion to Pakistan.


 *  – Poland, which currently holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council, has said that India and Pakistan should find a solution to the burning Kashmir issue "bilaterally". Speaking to The Indian Express on Monday, Poland's ambassador to India Adam Burakowski said, "Poland hopes that both countries can work out a mutually beneficial solution bilaterally."


 *  – Russia has called upon both India and Pakistan to save the situation in Kashmir from spiralling out of control and carry out the changes in the region within the constitutional parameters, the change in the status of the state of J&K and its division into two union territories are carried out within framework of the Constitution of the Republic of India. [...] We hope that the differences between them will be resolved by political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Russian envoy to India Nikolay Kudashev backed the decision, saying "India's decision (on Jammu and Kashmir) is a sovereign decision which is as per its Constitution. Our position on the issue is totally identical to India's position."


 *  – Saudi Arabia urged relevant parties in Jammu and Kashmir to maintain peace and stability and to take into account the interests of the inhabitants of the region. On 2 October 2019, media reports stated that Saudi Arabia conveyed to India that it understands the "Indian approach" behind the decision.


 *  – Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe welcomed the abrogation of Article 370 and the formation of the Ladakh union territory adding that "I understand Ladakh will finally become a Union Territory. With over 70% Buddhist it will be the first Indian state with a Buddhist majority".


 *  – Ambassador of Thailand to India Chutintorn Sam Gongsakdi said that the annulment of special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Article 370 is an "internal affair" of India. During an interview with ETV Bharat, Gongsakdi said, "Thailand does not interfere in the internal affairs of our friendly countries. Our stand has always been that we hope that the parties concerned would be able to resolve any issues between them in an amicable and peaceful manner. We do respect the internal affairs of India". "I have explained in the best possible way to my capital so that they understand the context of India in terms of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs," he said.


 *  – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his concerns over the situation mounting in the region and said he had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and that he would get in touch with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in hopes to reduce tensions.


 *  – The UAE Ambassador to India, Ahmed Al Banna, backed the Indian government and said "We expect that the changes would improve social justice and security and confidence of the people in the local governance and will encourage further stability and peace."


 *  – The Foreign and Commonwealth Office called for calm in the region and issued the following statement "We are following developments closely and support calls for the situation to remain calm". Over 45 UK MPs co-signed a letter and demanded UN Secretary-General António Guterres to intervene and to take notice of Indian government's decision to revoke Article 370. The Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted, "The rights of the Kashmiri people must be respected and UN resolutions implemented." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson conversed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20 August 2019, conveying his regrets about vandalism at the Indian High Commission in London which took place on 15 August. After a similar violent protest took place outside the Indian High Commission in London on 3 September 2019 by pro-Pakistan hooligans and Sikh extremists, Jeremy Corbyn condemned the violent protests and vandalism at the Indian High Commission, and had a telephone call with the Indian High Commissioner to the UK. Earlier, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan condemned the incident and raised it with the police.


 *  – Morgan Ortagus, a US State Department spokesperson stated there had been no change in the US position with Kashmir continuing to be regarded as a disputed region despite India's characterization of it as an "internal matter" and stressed the need for bilateral talks between India and Pakistan, and further stated "We are concerned about reports of detentions and urge respect for individual rights and discussion with those in affected communities." When asked by reporters if there had been any change in America's policy on Kashmir, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus replied "No. And if there was, I certainly wouldn't be announcing it here, but no, there's not". The US policy has been that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and it is up to the two countries to decide on the pace and scope of the talks on the issue. During prime minister Imran Khan's visit to the United States in July 2019, President Donald Trump offered to mediate Kashmir conflict between Pakistan and India. The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the US State Department in a statement said "the Indian government did not consult or inform the US Government before moving to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional status". US President Donald Trump spoke to both Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers. He emphasised the need to reduce tensions and moderate rhetoric while speaking to the Pakistani PM, after speaking to the Indian PM on 19 August 2019.   On 21 August 2019, US President Trump offered to mediate the "explosive" situation in Kashmir, adding that he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 45th G7 summit, which was held on 24–26 August 2019. Many Indian American communities welcomed the Indian decision.


 *  – Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, during his visit to India, said that Jammu and Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, in a bilateral meeting with PM Modi. Zambia was the first African nation to react to the decision regarding Jammu and Kashmir.