The Indian and US defense chiefs touched upon the status of Kashmir during a phone conversation on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Indian ministry said
NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2019) The Indian and US defense chiefs touched upon the status of Kashmir during a phone conversation on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Indian ministry said.It comes a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi complained to US President Donald Trump in a phone call about anti-Indian rhetoric by unnamed leaders in the region.
During his conversation with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated that India's revocation of the special status of the part of Kashmir under its control was "an internal matter." They discussed also military cooperation and plans for a joint exercise later this year.
"U.S. Secretary of Defense appreciated India's position that the recent developments in Jammu & Kashmir are an internal matter of India. He hoped that any issue between India and Pakistan will be resolved bilaterally," the spokesperson said.
Pakistan reacted angrily to India downgrading the Muslim-majority region to a territory and promised to protect Kashmiris. It expelled the Indian ambassador, halted bilateral trade and, more recently, promised to raise the issue with the International Court of Justice.
