Shah Mehmood Qureshi claims Pakistan 'ready for every kind of war': How foreign minister reacted to Article 370 abrogation

On 5 August, 2019, India abrogated Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir, which gave special status to the state, and also proposed its bifurcation into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

In response, Pakistan condemned and rejected this decision and vowed to exercise 'all possible options' to counter India's 'illegal and unilateral' step. India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.

Background:

Prime Minister Imran Khan, during his Independence Day speech, told the Legislative Assembly in PoK that he will become "the brand ambassador for all Kashmiris" and will raise the matter at various international fora. He visited several countries and met with various organisations like the OIC, and the UNSC in an attempt to garner mediation from international leaders. After failure on those fronts, he said his country is no longer interested in a dialogue with India.

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Khan claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a "historic blunder" by revoking Kashmir's special status. Recently, France, Sweden, the UK, US, and Russia also advised Pakistan to engage in bilateral talks with India.

File image of Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Reuters

Khan also cautioned that both countries were nuclear powers and in case of a war between the two countries, it could have an effect on the entire world.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's response:

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the foreign minister, has not been too far behind his prime minister when it comes to being confrontational with India on the entire matter. He has constantly said that India has taken an ‘aggressive stance’ on Kashmir and that the people of Kashmir have been left voiceless and vulnerable.

The foreign minister also called UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres to apprise him of the "evolving and delicate situation" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Qureshi said it was the responsibility of the international community to play a role in addressing the Kashmir situation. He said he told the secretary-general that some people in Kashmir who wanted to go to the UN office were not allowed to do so. Qureshi went on to highlight the arrests in Kashmir as well as the shortage of food and medicines in his conversation with Guterres.

"I also highlighted pellet guns and the use of cluster bombs on the LoC. I also told him about apprehension over an operation on the pattern of Pulwama," he said, adding that Pakistan had already highlighted the threat several times. We see the threat of humanitarian crisis and the threat of conflict and the UN should play a role to protect people of Kashmir."

He continued, saying that the UN Human Rights Commissioner should make a demand to visit the area and tell the world about it. He also said that the country will approach the International Court of Justice and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Yousef Al-Othaimeen over the matter.

Qureshi further warned that the entire region would be affected by the war between the two nuclear powers, as mentioned earlier by PM Imran Khan. He also added that India continues to disregard the sanctity of life and put the entire region is at risk while the abrogation prevailed.

When Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said (in a tweet) that —

Qureshi responded with —

On Monday, he said that Pakistan is ready for every kind of war. Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, Qureshi said the world was witnessing that "India had put the regional peace and stability at risk by illegally revoking" the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, ARY News reported.

He added that India could do "anything to divert the world's attention from its atrocities and grave human rights violation" in the region, and that Pakistan will go to any extent to defend the Kashmiris rights.

He went on to say that Pakistan was using diplomatic, political and legal options to resolve the longstanding Kashmir issue and will even raise the issue in the upcoming annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month.

With inputs from agencies.