1. China warned by India
China has voiced its opposition to the administration of Kashmir under Indian rule, with Foreign Ministry spokeswomen Hua Chunying saying: “China is always opposed to India’s inclusion of the Chinese territory in the western sector of the China-India boundary into its administrative jurisdiction. Recently India has continued to undermine China’s territorial sovereignty by unilaterally changing its domestic law. Such practice is unacceptable and will not come into force.” India, Pakistan and China claim all or parts of Kashmir, and China’s response is expected. Meanwhile, India has since reacted to China’s comments and warned China that the government’s contentious move to strip Kashmir of its autonomy and split the region into two parts was an “internal matter”. It is important not to underpin the importance of China in this conflict, as aggression between India and China over Kashmir could even be seen as more likely than with Pakistan.
2. Israeli caution
Israel, a close ally of India, has chosen to take its precautions and call its citizens to leave Kashmir. Even before the new travel advisory by the Counter-Terrorism Bureau at the Prime Minister’s Office, Israel has long warned its citizens to avoid the region due to terror threats and military tensions between India and Pakistan. This also comes as a response to a government order in Kashmir on Friday asking tourists and Hindu pilgrims visiting a Himalayan cave shrine “to curtail their stay” in the disputed territory. Israel’s abidance by India’s decision and its silence on the matter signifies the strong ties it has developed with the nation, and its hopes to continue to grow them.
3. UAE supports India
In what may come as a surprising move to some, the UAE has come out in support of India’s breach of article 370, as United Arab Emirates Ambassador to India Dr Ahmad Al Banna expressed hope that Article 370 Jammu and Kashmir decision would help improve the social and economic conditions in Jammu and Kashmir. Dr Al Banna sauid, “We also took note of the introduction of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in the Indian Parliament aimed at replacing Article 370 with the creation of Ladakh region and the state of Jammu and Kashmir as India’s two new Union Territories.” UAE is a known ally to Pakistan but has also kept strong ties with India, it was hence expected to take a neutral approach. Instead the Gulf nation has openly supported India.
4. Germany tries to resolve the situation
Germany has emerged as another possible mediator between the Kashmiris and India, but their demands seem unlikely for India to accept. Germany urged the Indian government on Monday to hold dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and comply with the Constitution, as tensions rose over a move to scrap the special status of the region. Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said Germany was closely following developments in the region. “We believe that all further steps of the government must comply with India’s Constitution,” she said and urged the government to respect civil rights secured by the law. However, these comments are clearly in vain as India would not go back against its decision unless it comes under increased pressure from its important trade partners in the region, which remains unlikely.
5. Will the US act as mediator?
Last month, US President Donald Trump, in a meeting with Pakistan PM Imran Khan, offered to act as a mediator in the Kashmir conflict and said that he had already agreed to do so with Indian PM Modi, a claim which India denied. After the latest events, the US State Department said on Monday it was closely following events in Kashmir after India said it was revoking the special status of the territory as well as expressing concern about reports of detentions of political figures. They released a statement saying: “We are concerned about reports of detentions and urge respect for individual rights and discussion with those in affected communities,” the department’s spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. “We call on all parties to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Control.” It appears the US intends to protect the autonomy of Kashmir, rather than act as a mediator, however it remains to be determined whether they will take any action.
