UN Security Council President Joanna Wronecka on Thursday refused to comment on Pakistan’s letter to the UN regarding the abrogation of Article 370 by India.
During a press briefing, when Wronecka was asked for her reaction on Pakistan’s letter, she said, “no comments”.
Earlier this month, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that claimed abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir “violated the UNSC resolution”.
Guterres, meanwhile, has appealed to both India and Pakistan to exercise “maximum restraint” and said he has been following the situation in Jammu and Kashmir with concern.
“The Secretary-General also recalls the 1972 Agreement on bilateral relations between India and Pakistan also known as the Simla Agreement, which states that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General in a statement.
“The Secretary-General calls on all parties to refrain from taking steps that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement further said.
In an unprecedented move, the Centre on Monday scrapped Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Following the developments, the Pakistan government condemned the abrogation of Article 370 saying that it will “exercise all possible options to counter it”.
The Pakistan Foreign Office in a statement said that it “strongly condemns and rejects” the announcement by India to repeal Article 370.
Condemning India’s move on Kashmir, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also tweeted: “Atrocities in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) unabated. Extremist Indian govt’s intentions clear. President must immediately summon Joint session of Parliament in wake of Indian aggression in IoK”.
The move has spiralled tensions between India and Pakistan, as the Imran Khan-led country on Wednesday decided to downgrade bilateral ties with India.