Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on Tuesday held phone talks, during which they discussed the latest crisis over the disputed Kashmir region, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a press release
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2019) Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on Tuesday held phone talks, during which they discussed the latest crisis over the disputed Kashmir region, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a press release."Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian today to discuss the current situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Foreign Minister briefed his French counterpart on the illegal and unilateral actions of India to alter the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir, which was in contravention of the international law and UNSC [United Nations Security Council] resolutions," the press release said.
According to the press release, Qureshi slammed "illegal and unilateral actions" of India and expressed hope that Paris would help to establish peace and stability in the region.
Le Drian, in turn, said that France was very concerned over the escalation of tension and called on Islamabad and New Delhi to start a dialogue to resolve the crisis.
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind signed on August 5 a decree revoking Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which had ensured the special status of the Jammu and Kashmir state. Under the government's new initiative, Jammu and Kashmir will be divided into two union territories that will be under New Delhi's control.
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.
