China has formally asked for “closed consultations” in the United Nations Security Council to discuss India revoking the special status to Jammu and Kashmir after Pakistan, its all-weather ally, wrote a formal letter to the UNSC president for the month of August

A top diplomat at the United Nations told news agency PTI that a request for such a meeting was submitted very recently, but no date has yet been scheduled for it.

Advertisement

“China asked for closed consultations on the Security Council agenda item ‘India Pakistan Question’. The request was in reference to the Pakistani letter to Security Council President,” the diplomat said.

Pakistan has formally called for an emergency meeting of the UNSC to discuss India’s move to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday.

The letter was through Permanent Representative Maleha Lodhi to convene the meeting.

The diplomat said that China also submitted a formal request for such a meeting but Poland has to consult and take into account preferences of other Council members before deciding on time and date for the meeting.

The official said that so far no final decision on the time of the meeting had been made and Friday morning is the “earliest realistic option” for the meeting.

Qureshi had also said that the letter will be shared with all members of the UNSC.

Qureshi said that the decision to call for the UNSC meeting was taken in the meeting of high-profile National Security Committee meeting held last week.

He said Pakistan considered India’s actions in Kashmir as a threat to the regional peace.

India has categorically told the international community that its move to scrap Article 370 of the Constitution removing the special status to Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter and has also advised Pakistan to “accept the reality”.

Meanwhile, China has “assured Pakistan of its support and commitment” and announced that it supported Islamabad’s decision to approach the UN Security Council in the wake of India’s decision to scrap Article 370 of its Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

An official statement on this was issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry after a meeting between visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday.

After his meeting with Wang, Qureshi had said that China intends to support Pakistan in the UNSC over the Kashmir issue.

The Indian Parliament on August 6 revoked Article 370 of the Constitution and approved bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

However, Russia, one of the P-5 members of the UNSC has backed India’s move, saying that the changes were within the framework of the Indian Constitution, even as it urged the two neighbours to maintain peace.

The United States also had earlier on Friday said that there is no change in its policy on Kashmir and called on India and Pakistan to maintain calm and restraint.

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.

India had earlier briefed the UN Security Council’s five permanent members — US, Britain, France, China and Russia — on the abrogation of Article 370 and had explained that the changes made were to a “temporary” article.