Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi telephoned Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali to solicit Nepal's support for the Pak stance over Jammu and Kashmir on the day Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar completed his two-day Nepal visit.
"The Foreign Minister briefed his Nepalese 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 resolutions," a statement issued by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry reads. "He underlined that the steps taken by India in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir entailed a grave risk for peace and security in the region."
The Pak minister urged Nepal to play its role as SAARC Chair for peace and stability in the region and impress upon India to ease the suffering of the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, according to the statement. "The Nepalese Foreign Minister said that Nepal was closely watching the situation and would continue to call for settlement of all disputes through peaceful means," the statement adds.
That Nepal is closely watching the situation and calls for settlement of all disputes through peaceful means has been the only official response of Nepal on the developments in Kashmir following abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, that granted special status to the state, its demotion to union territory from statehood, and bifurcation into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Both India and Pakistan have intensified diplomatic efforts to solicit support of the immediate neighbors and the wider international community for their respective stances following the Indian move.
