On Article 370, India says Pakistan trying to present an alarmist vision

Reuters Photo

New Delhi: India has regretted the Pakistani action to downgrade ties with New Delhi and decision to expel envoy Ajay Bisaria, and fears Islamabad might try to justify cross-border terror in the backdrop of Indian decision to abrogate article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. 

In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs said New Delhi has urged Islamabad 'to review them (decision to expel Indian envoy and downgrade mission) so that normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved."

New Delhi said that the 'intention behind these measures is obviously to present an alarming picture to the world of our bilateral ties.'

Reminding Pakistan that New Delhi's decision to revoke the special status for Jammu and Kashmir is 'an entirely internal affair of India', MEA said it is India's 'sovereign matter' and 'seeking to interfere in that jurisdiction by invoking an alarmist vision of the region will never succeed.'

The Indian government has said that the main reason to remove Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir was to spur socio-economic development of the region but  MEA fears that Islamabad can utilize India's decision to 'justify its cross-border terrorism.'

Earlier this week, Pakistani Prime Minister - speaking at the joint session of Pakistani Parliament called after the Indian decisions - had said, "Attack like Pulwama are bound to happen again. I can already predict this will happen. They will attempt to place the blame on us again."

Meanwhile, Indian envoy Bisaria has reacted to Pakistani decision saying, "Diplomats come and go. But diplomacy must go on."

So far, countries like UAE, Maldives and Sri Lanka have backed India, calling the abrogation as its internal affair, while the US has taken a cautious approach. Senior State Department diplomat Alice Wells will be travelling to India, the first visit by high-ranking US official since the abrogation of Article 370. She is on a 10-day pre-scheduled visit to the region in which she will be travelling to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.