PM Imran Khan briefs Bahrain king about Kashmir

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday made a telephone call to King of Bahrain Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa to apprise him of the evolving situation in Kashmir after India decided to revoke the State’s special status.

On Monday, India revoked Article 370 to withdraw the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the region into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

In reaction to India’s move, Pakistan downgraded the diplomatic relations by expelling the Indian High Commissioner and suspended trade ties with New Delhi.

“The King of Bahrain said that the government of Bahrain was closely monitoring the developments in Kashmir with deep concern and hoped that all issues would be resolved through dialogue,” according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office.

Prime Minister Khan while talking to the King strongly condemned and rejected the announcement made by the Indian government and underlined that they were in violation of the UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution, it said.

He stressed that Kashmir was an internationally recognized “disputed” territory and no “unilateral” step by Indian government can change that status as maintained in the UNSC Resolution, the statement said.

Imran Khan urged that the international community must play its role to stop India from this “irresponsible and unilateral” action to maintain peace and stability in the region, it added.

Imran Khan had also called to congratulate Boris Johnson this week on his appointment as Britain’s Prime Minister to raise the issue of Kashmir and the ongoing tensions around the Indian government’s decision to revoke the state’s special status.

In reference to the conversation which took place on Wednesday, Downing Street said that the two leaders discussed the serious situation in the region and agreed on the importance of dialogue.

The King received a call from Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan to congratulate him on his new role.

The leaders discussed the serious situation in Kashmir and agreed on the importance of maintaining dialogue, Downing Street said in a statement.

And they underlined their continued commitment to the bilateral relationship between the UK and Pakistan, it added.

In a previous statement, a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokesperson had said that the UK was following developments closely and supported calls for the situation to remain calm.