Pakistan says it will look into all possible options to counter 'illegal steps' taken by India in Jammu and Kashmir

Pakistan government said it will exercise all possible options to counter steps taken by the Indian counterpart.

"Pakistan strongly condemns and rejects the announcements made today by the Indian Government regarding the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory," the Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

"No unilateral step by the Government of India can change this disputed status, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. Nor will this ever be acceptable to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan. As the party to this international dispute, Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps," it said.

"Pakistan reaffirms its abiding commitment to the Kashmir cause and its political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir for realization of their inalienable right to self-determination," the Ministry said.

The politically-volatile and terrorism wracked Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, a bone of contention and military disputes for over seven decades between two nuclear armed neighbours of India and Pakistan, will not enjoy any special status anymore, as the ruling BJP-led government scrapped Article 370, in a move to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country and bifurcate the state into two.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament that the government would scrap Article 370, the constitutional provision that allowed Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws while massive troops deployment continued in the region where the local political leaders were put under house arrest since midnight.

Article 370 allows Jammu and Kashmir to have its own constitution, flag and right to handle its own laws except on matters that impact national security.

Also the BJP government on Monday announced to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories- Jammu and Kashmir with an assembly and Ladakh without an assembly. Thus Jammu and Kashmir loses its statehood.

The Modi government also scrapped Article 35A, which so far allowed the Jammu and Kashmir state's legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and also provided special rights and privileges to those permanent residents, through the presidential order.

The Home Minister said the decisions have been taken in view of fulfilling the aspirations of people of Ladakh and the internal security in Jammu and Kashmir.

While Kashmir leaders like Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti called the moves unilateral, unconstitutional and termed the day as darkest in Indian democracy, a larger number of otherwise anti-BJP political parties of India from Opposition- BJD, BSP, YSR and TRS- welcomed the move of scrapping Article 370.

The Kashmiri pandits, who were driven out of their homeland in Kashmir decades ago and had been living in refugees in their own country, celebrated the move.

In his statement, Shah said, "There has been a long pending demand of people of Ladakh, to give it a status of a Union Territory to enable them to realise their aspirations. The Union Territory of Ladakh will be without Legislature. Further, keeping in view the prevailing internal security situation, fuelled by cross border terrorism in the existing State of Jammu and Kashmir, a separate Union Territory for Jammu and Kashmir is being created. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be with legislature."

Both the bills have received the ascent of President Ram Nath Kovind.

Also the BJP government is set to move the Jammu and Kashmir reservation bill in Parliament, Shah said amid noisy scenes in the upper house.

The home minister made the announcement after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a cabinet meeting at his residence this morning on the Kashmir situation.

Tension prevailed in Jammu and Kashmir as the central government imposed  Section 144 of the CRPC in Srinagar with effect from August 5 and even with several top leaders in the Valley, including former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, being put under house arrest since midnight.

Earlier the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were asked to return back from the state warning them of possible terror strikes by Pakistan-backed terror outfits.