India did not inform the US about its intention to scrap special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the country's state department said on Wednesday, disputing media reports that New Delhi had kept Washington in the loop.
"Contrary to press reporting, the Indian government did not consult or inform the US Government before moving to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional status," the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the US State Department posted on Twitter.
The tweet was signed by Acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells.
News website ThePrint had reported on Monday that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had briefed his American counterpart, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, about the government's plans to scrap special privileges granted to Jammu and Kashmir.
Quoting unnamed sources, ThePrint said that, on August 1, Mr Jaishankar briefed Mr Pompeo in Bangkok on the sidelines of the ninth East Asia Summit, and in February, days after the Pulwama terror attack, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval spoke to his US counterpart John Bolton Bolton.
Government sources had told NDTV on Monday that the foreign ministry had briefed the UN Security Council's five permanent members - including the US - and the foreign media on the government's momentous move on Jammu and Kashmir, announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in parliament.
Besides the United States, the other permanent members of the UN Security Council are China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom.
Government sources said the ministry explained that the changes made were to a "temporary" article. "70 years is a long time for something temporary. It lessened accountability, quality of governance and added to separatist sentiment," the sources quoted the ministry as saying.
The government had used a provision in the constitution's Article 370 - which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir - to bring privileges like the state's ability to frame its own laws to an end.
The ministry also said that vested interests did not want application of Indian laws in Kashmir. This had impact on investment, and led to gender discrimination. Fundamental duties were also not applicable in the state, the sources said.
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