India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to fully integrate its only Muslim-majority state with the rest of the country, its most far-reaching political move on the territory in nearly seven decades.
In Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, around 45km (28 miles) from the contested border between the neighbours, dozens of protesters held black flags and burnt car tyres, chanting “Down with India”.
“The abolition of the special status of Kashmir will not serve its purpose,” said Zahid Iqbal, 35, a migrant from Indian-administered Kashmir. “We will fight, and we will fight with more vigour.”
There were also protests in Islamabad, the capital, and Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi, as well as in Lahore.
In a statement, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it would “exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps” taken by India.
Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohamed Faisal said the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally-recognised disputed territory.
“No unilateral step by the Indian government can change this disputed status, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council resolutions. Nor will this ever be acceptable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan,” he said.
The spokesperson said as the party to this international dispute, Pakistan will exercise all possible options “to counter the illegal steps.”
He said Pakistan reaffirms its abiding commitment to the Kashmir cause and its political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan would raise the issue with allies, including the United States.
“We intend to firmly highlight our stance in our meetings with the US delegation visiting Pakistan and with the international community at large,” Qureshi said on Twitter.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said the move “was in clear violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions” in the region, according to a statement released after a telephone call with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed yesterday evening.
The prime minister’s office said Khan also called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to warn that the decision could have “serious implications” for regional security.
Erdogan “shared the concerns” and assured Khan of Turkey’s support, the statement said, while Mohamed, one of the world’s Muslim elder statesmen, said that Malaysia is “closely monitoring” the situation.
A spokesman for India’s foreign ministry declined to comment on Pakistan’s statement that the steps were illegal.
However, there was no statement by Pakistan’s powerful military, with analysts saying it was likely to avoid escalating tension with India for the time being.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has summoned the Indian high commissioner to protest the move, the Pakistani high commission to New Delhi said late yesterday.
Tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours has been elevated since February, when a militant group based in Pakistan attacked an Indian paramilitary convoy in Kashmir, killing at least 40 people and bringing them to the brink of a third war over the territory.
India has long accused Pakistan of fomenting a decades-long armed insurrection against its rule in the portion of Kashmir it controls.
Islamabad denies this, saying that it provides only diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiri separatists.
On Sunday, the National Security Committee (NSC) of the Pakistan government condemned what it termed were Indian atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating that Pakistan is “ready to defend itself against any misadventure or aggression by India”.
Prime Minister Khan, who chaired the NSC meeting in Islamabad, reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve that “any Indian misadventure or aggression will be responded with full support of the nation”.
He said Pakistan would always stand by Kashmiris and would not be deterred from its just stance based on the UN Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
The prime minister invited attention of the world leaders and international bodies towards the “irresponsible, unilateral and irrational behaviour of the Indian leadership”.
Pakistan is playing a key role in negotiations between the US and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Khan recently returned from a state visit to Washington, where President Donald Trump offered to mediate in the Kashmir dispute.
India has consistently opposed third-party mediation on Kashmir, considering the issue one between the two countries.
Fresh from the state visit, Khan and the military were unlikely to want to look like an aggressor in the dispute, analysts said.
“Pakistan had lost the moral high ground on Kashmir due to allegations of (funding the insurgency) in the 1990s,” said Anam Zakaria, an analyst and author of a book on the dispute. “(But) in the post 9/11 years, it has actively tried to project a softer image, and with respect to Kashmir raise awareness of human rights violations. This unilateral act in (Kashmir) will bolster its stance.”
But there was also anger at Pakistan for its inability to prevent the move.
“This reflects the weakness of Pakistan’s government and apathy of the so-called brotherly Muslim nations that have encouraged India to take this step,” 51-year-old Kashmiri Iqbal Awan said in Muzaffarabad.
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