Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday telephoned UK counterpart Boris Johnson and discussed the ‘serious situation in Kashmir’, the Downing Street office said in a statement.
Both leaders agreed on the ‘importance of maintaining dialogue’, the statement said, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated PM Johnson on assuming office as the UK prime minister. “Both leaders underscored their continued commitment to the relationship between the UK and Pakistan,” it concluded.
In a parallel development, Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he has expressed concern to his Indian counterpart about the situation in the disputed Kashmir region. “I have spoken to the Indian Foreign Minister,” Raab said on Wednesday. “We’ve expressed some of our concerns around the situation and called for calm, but also had a clear readout of the situation from the perspective of the Indian government,” Raab added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regarding India’s illegal action in occupied Kashmir.
Iran urges India and Pakistan to adopt peaceful methods and dialogue to resolve disputes
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the two leaders spoke over the phone. “During the call, they discussed the development of the situation in the region and efforts exerted towards it,” the agency reported. “HRH the Crown Prince was also briefed by the Pakistani Prime Minister on the latest developments in Kashmir,” it added.
Hours after India’s move, the prime minister held phone conversations with Malaysian PM Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyib Erdogan. He reiterated that Pakistan will continue its diplomatic, moral and political support to the just cause of Kashmiri struggle for their right to self-determination, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSC). Both Turkey and Malaysia assured PM Imran of their support in the matter.
Iran on Wednesday called on India and Pakistan to hold dialogue and take peaceful measures to protect the regional people’s interests after the recent developments regarding the Jammu and Kashmir region. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is closely following up on the Indian government’s latest decisions regarding Jammu and Kashmir as well as the explanations provided by Indian and Pakistani officials on the developments unfolding in the region,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said in a statement. “The Islamic Republic of Iran expects India and Pakistan – as its regional friends and partners – to adopt peaceful methods and dialogue to take effective steps in order to protect the interests of regional people,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ambassador of United Arab Emirates (UAE) to India Dr Ahmad Al Banna has said that his country has deep concerns over the Indian government’s decision of revoking some sections of Article 370 of the Indian constitution related to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.