US Urges Release Of J&K Leaders, Stresses "Equal Protection" Under CAA ndtv.com

The visit by foreign envoys to Jammu and Kashmir was a "useful" step, a top American diplomat said on Friday, urging New Delhi to release "political leaders detained without charge" following the lockdown that was imposed in the union territory last August. "I was pleased to see some incremental steps, including the partial return of internet service in Kashmir. And the visit by our ambassador and other foreign diplomats to Jammu and Kashmir is something that I know was extensively covered in the press. We see this as a useful step," Alice Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, said at a news briefing in Washington DC.