Support India's Reasons For Repealing Article 370, But Concerned Over Situation In Kashmir

The US State Department said it has closely monitored the situation in Jammu and Kashmir following India’s decision to abrogate Article 370 provisions and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.
The Trump administration has said while it supports India’s development agenda behind the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370, it was concerned over the current situation in the Valley.

The Indian government has argued that its decision on Article 370 was driven by a desire to increase economic development, reduce corruption and uniformly apply all national laws in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in regard to women and minorities, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice G Wells told Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“While we support these objectives, the US State Department remains concerned about the situation in the Kashmir Valley, where daily life for the nearly eight million residents has been severely impacted since August 5,” Wells said in a prepared statement submitted to the Congressional subcommittee on the eve of the hearing “Human Rights in South Asia: Views from the State Department and the Region”.

The US State Department, she said, has closely monitored the situation in Jammu and Kashmir following India’s August 5 decision to abrogate Article 370 provisions of the Constitution and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.

“While conditions in Jammu and Ladakh have improved, the Valley has not returned to normal,” Wells said on Monday, adding the State Department has raised concerns with the Indian government regarding the detentions of local residents and political leaders, including three former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir.