Already flaring tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated since Indian government scrapped Section 370 – a special status accorded to the state which allowed a separate constitution, a state flag and autonomy over the internal administration of the state.
Both the nations accuse each other of wrongdoing – India has accused Pakistan of supporting insurgents by funding and protecting the organisations, Pakistan says it only gives moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris who want ‘self-determination’. Pakistan has criticised India for scrapping the special status, and at the same time accused India of flinging hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris into a state of uncertainty as the state undergoes a communication blackout – internet, mobile phone and landline networks have been suspended in most parts of the state. India has said Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, and their status is an internal matter.
India has mobilised thousands of troops in its administered region, observing media suggesting the situation feels ‘war-like’. Pakistan, too has suggested its military to remain on maximum alert. The United States on Wednesday said it supports direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on the disputed Kashmir region and called for calm and restraint as the dispute escalated.
Pakistan to cut off ties with India:
Pakistan is looking to downgrade its diplomatic relationship with India – telling India to withdraw its High-Commissioner from India, and has said will withdraw their envoy from India too. An official statement also says ‘Pakistan will observe their Independence Day on 14 August in solidarity with Kashmiris, and observe 15th August as ‘black day’.
US supports dialogue between the two nations:
The United States on Wednesday said it supports direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on the disputed Kashmir region and called for calm and restraint as the dispute escalated.
