India Post News Service
New Delhi: India Friday said that it is time for Pakistan to accept the reality of the status of Jammu and Kashmir after New Delhi earlier this week revoked Article 370 of the Constitution that granted special status to the north Indian state.
“It is time for Pakistan to accept the reality and stop interfering in the internal affairs of other countries,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at his weekly media briefing here.
“All matters relating to J&K are an internal matter, and a sovereign matter concerning India. We want Pakistan to understand this.,” Kumar said.
Pakistan Wednesday took a series of counter-steps, including downgrading of diplomatic ties and expelling Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria, after the Indian Parliament earlier this week abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the north Indian state into two union territories that will be governed directly by the central government in New Delhi.
Kumar reiterated India’s statement Thursday that Pakistan should review its decisions.
On Thursday, Pakistan stopped operations of the Samjhauta Express, the “train of understanding” that runs between the two South Asian nuclear neighbors twice a week.
Kumar described the decision to stop the Samjhauta Express as “unfortunate”, saying India never sought this.
On whether the current state of relations between the two countries will impact Pakistan’s decision on consular access to Indian death row convict Kulbhushan Jadhav, he said New Delhi is in touch with Islamabad on the issue.
“We are in talks with Pakistan. Our channel of communication is open.”
Kumar also said that Pakistan’s attempt to link Afghan peace deal with India’s decisions on Kashmir did not work at all
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