ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has strongly condemned and rejected the Indian presidential decree that scraped the special status for disputed Kashmir region on Monday, according to a statement issued by the foreign office.

“The Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory,” the FO said while adding that as “party to this international dispute, Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps.” 

Pakistan reaffirmed its “abiding commitment to the Kashmir cause” and its “political, diplomatic and moral support” to the people of Indian administered Kashmir for realization of their right to self-determination, according to the official handout.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Islamabad would step up diplomatic efforts to prevent the revocation made by the presidential decree from coming into effect, calling the move a “violation of UN resolution,” reported local television channels as he spoke to media from Saudi Arabia where he’s on a pilgrimage to Makkah.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday convened a meeting of the country’s Cabinet Committee on Security shortly after which Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the president had signed a decree abolishing Article 370 of the Indian constitution giving special autonomy to Kashmir.

The decision came as the Indian administered Kashmir is under security lockdown with thousands of people trapped in their homes and cell phone and Internet service disrupted in most parts of the disputed valley.

Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) – the part of the disputed Himalayan region administered by Pakistan – Raja Farooq Haider Khan told Arab News, “We reject the Indian move which is aimed to change the demographic composition of the territory.”

Kashmir has been divided between Pakistan and India since the inception of both countries in 1947 where the two nuclear neighbors have gone to war thrice over the disputed territory which both claim in full.

Salman Bashir, Pakistan’s former foreign Secretary and ambassador to India, termed the move a “huge blunder by Modi government.”

“By brute force and incarcerating millions of Kashmiris, India will not go very far. This one act has actually demolished the myth of Kashmir’s accession to India,” Bashir told Arab News.

“Now onwards, India will have its own internal contradictions amplify manifold. This does not augur well for peace in the region,” he added.

Tensions soared high in the last few days along the Line of Control (LoC) which serves as the de facto border between India and Pakistan dividing Kashmir.

Pakistani authorities have asked villagers living along the heavily militarized LoC to remain alert.

“There are about 600,000 people living near the Line of Control and the government is trying to provide best possible assistance to them all,” Raja Waseem, press secretary to the AJK premier said.

On Sunday, the OIC also voiced concerns over the “deteriorating situation in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir including reports of deployment of additional paramilitary forces and use of banned cluster munition by the Indian forces to target civilians.”

After the recent flare up along the LoC, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has also called upon US President Donald Trump to help diffuse the tension.

“President Trump offered to mediate on Kashmir. This is the time to do so as situation deteriorates there and along the LOC with new aggressive actions being taken by Indian occupation forces. This has the potential to blow up into a regional crisis,” PM Khan tweeted on Sunday.