Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal has said that Islamabad will never accept India repealing Article 370 of its Constitution that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Faisal made the remark during his weekly press briefing onFriday here, reported Radio Pakistan.
“Pakistan will never accept the repeal of Article 370of the Indian Constitution… Kashmiri people will also not allow this tohappen ever.
“Besides violating the rights of Kashmiris, it willalso contravene relevant UNSC (UN Security Council) Resolutions,” thespokesman said while replying to a question.
Article 370 was incorporated in India’s Constitution inOctober 1949. It exempts Jammu and Kashmir from the country’s Constitution,while allowing the state to draft its own.
It also gives power to the state legislature to define Jammuand Kashmir’s residents and their privileges.
In the briefing, Faisal regretted that India postponed theKartarpur Corridor meeting earlier this week.
“Indian side has expressed willingness to attend atechnical-level meeting on the issue on 15th and 16th of this month, which willhopefully set the pace for further talks,” Radio Pakistan quoted thespokesman as saying.
He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to complete its side ofKartarpur Corridor before the 550th birth anniversary of Sikh founder GuruNanak later this year.
Faisal also announced that Pakistan was releasing 360 Indianprisoners — 483 fishermen, 54 civilian — on humanitarian basis uponcompletion of their sentences from April 8 onwards.
“One hundred fishermen will be released on Monday(April 8) with another batch of hundred on the 15th of this month.
“It will be followed by the release of additional 100fishermen on April 22.”
He said the last batch of 60 Indian prisoners — fivefishermen, 55 civilians — will be released on April 29.