Article 370 verdict: India has no right to go against Pakistan’s will, says Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani

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Supreme Court of India’s verdict has affirmed the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. And, it has irked one of India’s neighbours. Pakistan's response came swiftly.

Islamabad has asserted that international law does not recognise India's actions on August 5, 2019. This statement came from Jalil Abbas Jilani, the caretaker Foreign Minister. Jilani has emphasised that unilateral decisions on the status of Jammu and Kashmir by India have “no legal value".

India has "no right to make unilateral decisions on the status of this disputed territory" against the will of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan, PTI quoted him as saying. “Pakistan categorically rejects the judgement announced by the Supreme Court of India," he added. He called Jammu and Kashmir an internationally-recognised dispute.

Its resolution, according to him, should align with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. He reiterated Pakistan's rejection of the “supremacy of the Indian Constitution over Jammu and Kashmir" by calling it "a travesty of justice". "Pakistan does not acknowledge the supremacy of the Indian Constitution over Jammu and Kashmir.

Any process, subservient to the Indian Constitution, carries no legal significance. India cannot abdicate its international obligations on the pretext of domestic legislations and judicial verdicts," he said. Also Read: Centre's decision abrogating Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir ‘valid’. 10 key takeaways from Supreme Court's judgment Jilani accused India of altering the demographic and political landscape of Kashmir since August 2019.