Pakistan PM Imran Khan dials German Chancellor Merkel, discusses India's Kashmir move

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday held a telephonic conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the Kashmir issue. During the talks, the prime minister “emphasised that India scrapping the special status to Jammu and Kashmir has serious implications for peace and security in the region and the international community has the responsibility to act urgently”, the Foreign Office said.

Merkel said Germany was closely observing the situation and underlined the importance of de-escalation of tensions and resolution of the issue peacefully, it stated. India has categorically told the international community that removing the special status to Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter and has also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also “briefed” his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid on the Kashmir issue, the Foreign Office said. Qureshi urged Maldives to play a constructive role for peace and stability in the region and peaceful settlement of disputes, it said.

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In a snub to Qureshi, Shahid told him that the Maldives viewed the decision taken by India regarding Article 370 of the Indian Constitution as an internal matter.

“Minister Shahid thanked Minister Qureshi for the telephone call and stated that both Pakistan and India are close friends and bilateral partners of the Maldives and stressed the importance of resolving differences between countries amicably through peaceful means,” the Maldives foreign ministry said in a statement in Male.

Qureshi also telephoned his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono and discussed the Kashmir issue with him.