Insta
‘Important Step’: United States Lauds Foreign Diplomats’ Visit To Jammu And Kashmir
Swarajya Staff
Jan 12, 2020, 01:34 PM | Updated 01:34 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
The United States (US) has called the visit of its Ambassador Ken Juster and diplomats from 15 other countries to Kashmir an “important step”.
Alice Wells, the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, tweeted on Saturday (11 January) 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 politicians 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 5 August,” she had said.
(With inputs from IANS)
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.