City
Epaper

Envoys' visit to Kashmir 'important step', says US

By IANS | Published: January 12, 2020 9:50 AM

The US has called the visit of its Ambassador Ken Juster and diplomats from 15 other countries to Kashmir an "important step".

Open in App

Alice Wells, the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, tweeted on Saturday that she was "closely following" the visit of the envoys to Kashmir, describing it an "important step".

Wells, who will be visiting India this week, added: "We remain concerned by detention of political leaders and residents and Internet restrictions. We look forward to a return to normalcy."

The group of diplomats made a two-day visit to the Union Territory on Thursday and Friday to see the conditions there after Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional status was removed last August.

While some US politic and media have criticised the action by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, the US has officially appeared to support the abrogation of the Constitution's Article 370 on the special status.

Last October, Wells told the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific that the State Department supported the objectives behind it, while not directly mentioning the abrogation.

"The Indian government has argued that its decision on Article 370 was driven by a desire to increase economic development, reduce corruption, and uniformly apply all national laws in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in regard to women and minorities.

"While we support these objectives, the Department remains concerned about the situation in the Kashmir Valley, where daily life for the nearly eight million residents has been severely impacted since August 5," she had said.

Washington has banked on India's democratic institutions - the judiciary and public debates - being able to steer the country.

Bearing this out, the Supreme Court last week ordered the government to review its decision to shutdown the internet in Kashmir, which it declared was a fundamental right, thus taking a step to address Wells's concern.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Kashmir ValleyAlice WellsindiaState Department
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalLok Sabha Election 2024: I.N.D.I.A Bloc To Get Decisive Mandate Due to Positive Campaign, Says Jairam Ramesh

InternationalChina Deploys J-20 Stealth Fighters Near India’s LAC Amid Ongoing Tensions

NationalHeatwave in Bihar: 19 Dead in 24 Hours as Temperatures Soar Above 45°C, Alert Issued for Next Two Days

TechnologyWomen Hiring for Leadership Roles in India Rises to 23.2% in Early 2024: LinkedIn Report

NationalSupreme Court Refuses Cleric Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui's Plea to Enter Uttar Pradesh for Nephew's Death Anniversary

International Realted Stories

InternationalFormer Pak PM Imran Khan under fire for taking U-turn on regime change narrative

InternationalUN relief chief highlights dire humanitarian needs in Syria amid underfunding crisis

InternationalUS, China to resume military-to-military dialogue in "coming months": Llyod Austin in Singapore

InternationalWill not hesitate to protect British interests in Red Sea: UK PM Rishi Sunak

InternationalDefence ministers of US, China meet as Shangri-La Dialogue kicks off