A day after Pakistan decided to downgrade diplomatic ties with India, the latter’s Ministry of External Affairs, through a statement, asked Islamabad to revisit its decision so that “normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved”.
The statement further insisted that the decision to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution was an “internal affair” of India.
“The Constitution of India was, is and will always be a sovereign matter. Seeking to interfere in that jurisdiction by invoking an alarmist vision of the region will never succeed.”
Following a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan ended bilateral trade, downgraded diplomatic ties and, in a rare occurrence, asked New Delhi to withdraw High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria from Islamabad.
“Our ambassadors will no longer be in New Delhi and their counterparts here will also be sent back,” said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi after the meeting.
The meeting also decided to review the bilateral arrangements between Pakistan and India, take the matter to the United Nations and observe the upcoming Independence Day on August 14 “in solidarity with Kashmiris”.
“PM directed that all diplomatic channels be activated to expose brutal Indian racist regime, design and human rights violations,” a statement issued after the meeting said. The premier also directed the armed forces to continue their vigilance, as per the handout.
