Pakistani Ambassador In Russia Confirms UNSC To Hold Meeting On Jammu And Kashmir Friday

Pakistan's Ambassador to Russia Qazi Khalilullah confirmed on Thursday that the UN Security Council plans to meet on August 15 to address the situation around India's decision to strip the Jammu and Kashmir state of its special status

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2019) Pakistan's Ambassador to Russia Qazi Khalilullah confirmed on Thursday that the UN Security Council plans to meet on August 15 to address the situation around India's decision to strip the Jammu and Kashmir state of its special status.

UN Security Council President Joanna Wronecka said on Wednesday that the council would most likely discuss the recent developments around Kashmir behind closed doors on Friday.

"Pakistan has approached the Security Council and, at our request, the council will be meeting tomorrow," Khalilullah told reporters.

The ambassador added that Pakistan would continue to extend its moral, diplomatic and political support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the realization of their right to self-determination.

Last week, the Indian government announced its decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and split it into two union territories, prompting an outraged reaction from Islamabad with whom India has had strained relations over the Kashmir region for decades.

Since then, Pakistan has downgraded its diplomatic relations and suspended trade with its neighbor.

India and Pakistan have contended for the Kashmir region, the southern part of which lies in India's Jammu and Kashmir state, since the end of British rule in 1947. Despite a ceasefire being reached in 2003 following several armed conflicts, instability has continued, leading to the emergence of various extremist groups. Tensions spiked earlier this year when the Indian military conducted airstrikes in the region in response to an attack orchestrated by a terrorist group based on the Pakistani side of Kashmir.