Article 370: Following closely, says UK, calls for calm
Hindustan TimesThe Boris Johnson government on Tuesday said it is following developments in New Delhi related to Jammu and Kashmir closely, while a senior ruling Conservative MP expressed “strong support” to revocation of Article 370 in the state. Bob Blackman, who has supported Modi during his tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat and subsequently as prime minister, has often defended India’s official position on sensitive issues such as Jammu and Kashmir in the British parliament. A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are following developments closely and support calls for the situation to remain calm.” A demonstration was held on Monday outside the Indian high commission organised by groups including the South Asia Solidarity Group to protest against the moves initiated by home minister Amit Shah. “Narendra Modi has again shown proper and strong leadership in honouring the manifesto of the BJP – now is the time to properly integrate Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian constitution.” The United Kashmir Peoples National Party criticised the changes announced by home minister Amit Shah, while the Indo-European Kashmir Forum focused on issues related to Kashmiri Pandits hailed the developments.