PM Imran, UK counterpart Boris Johnson discuss 'serious situation in Kashmir'

Published August 7, 2019
Prime Minister Imran Khan, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. — Reuters/Imran Khan Facebook
Prime Minister Imran Khan, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. — Reuters/Imran Khan Facebook

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday made a telephone call to his UK counterpart, Boris Johnson, during which a discussion on the "serious situation in Kashmir" was held, Johnson's Downing Street office said in a statement.

Both leaders agreed on the "importance of maintaining dialogue", the statement added.

The prime minister congratulated PM Johnson on assuming office as the UK prime minister. Both leaders underscored their "continued commitment to the bilateral relationship between the UK and Pakistan".

In a parallel development, Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he had expressed concern to his Indian counterpart about the situation in the disputed Kashmir region.

“I have to spoken to the Indian Foreign Minister,” Raab said on Wednesday.

“We've expressed some of our concerns around the situation and called for calm, but also had a clear readout of the situation from the perspective of the Indian government.”

Examine: India's legislative actions in Jammu and Kashmir — legal or illegal?

After India decided to revoke Kashmir's special status by repealing Article 370 and 35-A of its constitution through a presidential order, Pakistan said it would downgrade diplomatic relations and suspend bilateral trade with India.

With the revocation of Article 370 of the constitution, Indian residents will now be able to acquire property in Kashmir and settle there permanently.

Kashmiris, as well as critics of India’s Hindu nationalist-led government, see the move as an attempt to bring a demographic change to Kashmir, diluting its Muslim-majority population with Hindu settlers.

Furthermore, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, who is also president of the BJP, moved a bill — passed by the Indian parliament — to bifurcate the state into two union territories to be directly ruled by New Delhi.

Opinion

Editorial

Holding the line
16 Mar, 2026

Holding the line

PAKISTAN’S long battle against polio has recently produced encouraging signs. Data from the national eradication...
Power self-reliance
Updated 16 Mar, 2026

Power self-reliance

PAKISTAN’S transition to domestic sources of electricity is a welcome development for a country that has long been...
Looking for safety
16 Mar, 2026

Looking for safety

AS the Middle East conflict enters its third week, the war’s most enduring victims are not those who wage it....
Battling hate
Updated 15 Mar, 2026

Battling hate

In the current scenario, geopolitical conflict, racial prejudice and religious bigotry all contribute to the threats Muslims face.
TB drugs shortage
15 Mar, 2026

TB drugs shortage

‘CRIMINAL negligence’ is the phrase that jumps to mind when one considers the disturbing consequences of the...
Chinese diplomacy
Updated 14 Mar, 2026

Chinese diplomacy

THERE are signs that China is taking a more active role in trying to resolve the issue of cross-border terrorism...