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Jammu And Kashmir's Reorganisation Does Not Affect Line Of Control: Indian Envoy

“It’s an internal matter of India,” Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla said.
Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol over a footbridge near the Line of Control.
Reuters File Photo
Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers patrol over a footbridge near the Line of Control.

WASHINGTON — The reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter of India and it will have no impact on ties with other countries, a top Indian envoy has said.

The Indian Parliament on Tuesday approved a resolution abrogating special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and a bill for splitting the state into two Union territories ― Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

This reorganisation doesn’t affect either the international boundary or the Line of Control (LoC) and the move is aimed at good governance, Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla told a Washington audience on Tuesday.

He said the move is to ensure socioeconomic benefits that go to the people of India also go to the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the disadvantaged sections of the population there.

“The reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories with their own council and legislature is an administrative decision. It’s a decision which seeks to ensure that we provide good governance,” Shringla said.

Responding to a question at the Heritage Foundation think-tank, the envoy said the reorganisation of a state is not a new concept in India and Jammu and Kashmir is the twelveth to be reorganised.

“It’s something that doesn’t in anyway touch upon or affect the LoC, the international boundary and therefore, doesn’t have any impact on our relationship with any other state (country),” said Shringla while speaking on “Contemporary India: Foreign Policy, Development Strategy, and Regional Priorities for Modi 2.0”.

“It’s an internal matter of India,” he said, adding that the idea of bifurcating the state into two Union territories is to ensure that developmental benefits go directly to the people.

In his first public appearance in Washington DC after the move of the Modi government, Shringla hoped that the reorganisation of the state would lead to its economic development and bring in more investment.

“We will see a great deal of change for the better. It would be greatly beneficial for the development of the state,” he said.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.