India dismisses Turkey's comment on New Delhi's 'biased' removal of Jammu and Kashmir's special status

New Delhi: India on Thursday called as factually “incorrect, biased and unwarranted” Turkey’s comments that removal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir has not contributed to peace and stability in the region. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava also asked Turkey to refrain from interfering in internal matters of India. “The statement is factually incorrect, biased and unwarranted. We would urge the government of Turkey to get a proper understanding of the situation on the ground and refrain from interfering in matters internal to India,” he said at an online media briefing. A Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday said that withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir has further complicated the situation and that it has not served peace and stability in the region. The criticism came on a day marking first anniversary of India’s decision on Jammu and Kashmir. On 5 August, India announced its decision to withdraw special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories.