Article 370 revoked: Imran Khan seeks Iran's help, says 'India violated international law'

Islamabad, Aug 11: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday called Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as part of his outreach to the world leaders to apprise them about the situation in Kashmir, his office said. 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 on Wednesday and suspended trade ties with New Delhi.

"The Prime Minister underlined that the actions taken by India in a bid to change the internationally recognised disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions," Khan's office said in a statement.

"Any change in the demographic structure of Jammu and Kashmir would constitute a violation of the international law," it said.

Khan has already called Prime Ministers of the UK and Malaysia, as well as the Turkish President, Saudi Crown Prince and King of Bahrain to apprise them about the Kashmir situation. Prime Minister Khan highlighted the serious risk of massive killings and stressed that the international community must act urgently to prevent the impending calamity, the statement said.

He apprised the Iranian leader of Pakistan's repeated calls and efforts, urging India to resolve the dispute through peaceful means, in accordance with the longstanding UNSC Resolutions, it said.

President Rouhani, while underlining that all possible efforts must be made to keep the regional tensions low, stressed that the Muslims of Kashmir must be able to use their legal rights and interests to be able to live in peace, the statement said.

He also expressed his concerns over the killing of innocent people in Jammu and Kashmir, it said. Both leaders agreed that no military solution existed to resolve the long-standing dispute. Khan stressed that India should be counselled to immediately resolve the issue under the UN resolutions, the statement said.

PTI