India Briefs Foreign Envoys On Decision To Scrap Article 370, Bifurcate J&K

India on Monday briefed the envoys of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and several other nations about its decision to scrap Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcate the state.

In the briefings, it was conveyed that the decisions were internal to India and they are aimed at providing good governance, promoting social justice and ensuring economic development in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.

It was learnt that Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale briefed the envoys of the US, Britain, France, China and Russia, the five permanent members of the UNSC.

Other senior officials apprised envoys of a number of other countries about the government's decision on Jammu and Kashmir.

In the light of interest expressed by members of the diplomatic community, senior MEA officials briefed the envoys of several countries, the sources said.

The government revoked Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and proposed that the state be split into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the decision in Rajya Sabha, fulfilling the electoral promise of the BJP. While it sent a wave of jubilation among government supporters and others, it also provoked outrage from the NC and the PDP, the principal political parties in Jammu and Kashmir.

(PTI)