Dhaka, Islamabad hold tele talks over Jammu & Kashmir issue

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and his Pakistan counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation on Tuesday and discussed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here confirmed about the conversation without elaborating further.

Bangladesh earlier described the matter related to Jammu and Kashmir as an internal issue of India.

“Bangladesh maintains that the abrogation of Article 370 by the Indian government is an internal issue of India,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sharing Bangladesh’s position on the issue.

It said Bangladesh has always advocated, as a matter of principle, that maintaining regional peace and stability, as well as development should be a priority for all countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on August 5 stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its semi-autonomy and statehood, creating two federal territories.

The order revokes Article 370 of India's Constitution, which gives the state of Jammu and Kashmir its own constitution and decision-making rights for all matters except for defense, communications and foreign affairs.

The article also forbids Indians outside the state from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs and securing educational scholarships.