After being snubbed by Sri Lanka over the Indian government’s move to revoke special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan received another blow on Friday when the Maldives made it clear that the decision was India’s internal matter.
Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, in a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, stressed that New Delhi and Islamabad should resolve differences amicably through peaceful means.
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“Minister Shahid thanked Minister Qureshi for the telephone call and stated that both Pakistan and India are close friends and bilateral partners of the Maldives and stressed the importance of resolving differences between countries amicably through peaceful means,” read a statement by Maldives Foreign Ministry.
Minister Shahid also stated that the Maldives viewed the decision taken by India regarding Article 370 of the Indian Constitution as an internal matter.
A similar stance has been maintained by other SAARC counties, including Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
The development is a further blow to Pakistan, which has been making continuous efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, despite being snubbed at the United Nations Security Council, as well as by many countries, including US, Russia, and France.
(With ANI inputs)