The US House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee have issued a joint statement on Wednesday on the decision of the Indian government to abolish Article 370 and integrate Jammu & Kashmir completely with the Indian Union.
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There was a significant difference in the tone and tenor of the statement while addressing India and Pakistan. While it asserted that the US ‘hopes’ India will adhere to the principles of transparency and liberty but emphasized that Pakistan ‘must’ act against terror. Thus, while the US gave India the freedom to take adequate measures necessary to crack down on terror activities in the Valley, it emphasized that Pakistan needs to concrete steps against the terrorists operating from its soil.
The statement said, “As the world’s largest democracy, India has an opportunity to demonstrate for all its citizens the importance of protecting and promoting equal rights, including freedom of assembly, access to information, and equal protection under the law.” “Transparency and political participation are the cornerstones of representative democracies and we hope the India government will abide by these principles in Jammu and Kasmir,” it added.
About India’s petulant neighbour, the statement said, “Pakistan must refrain from any retaliatory aggression–including support for infiltrations across the Line of Control–and take demonstrable action against the infrastructure on Pakistan’s soil.”
Pakistan hasn’t received any significant support from the international community in the wake of the recent developments in Kashmir. Even their ‘all-weather ally’ China was more concerned with Union Home Minister mentioning Aksai Chin as an integral part of India than anything else. Even the Muslim world appears to be tired of Pakistan’s shenanigans with the exception of Turkey.
Now, the US, too, has clearly indicated that cross border terrorism and ceasefire violations by the Pakistani Army along the LOC will not be entertained by the international community.