Scrapping Article 370 India's internal matter: Maldives

The Maldives on Friday said that the Indian government's move to abrogate Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir was an "internal matter".

Several countries including the US, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh among others have dubbed the decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status as India's internal matter.

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, in a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, stressed that New Delhi and Islamabad should resolve differences amicably through peaceful means.

"Minister Shahid thanked Minister Qureshi for the telephone call and stated that both Pakistan and India are close friends and bilateral partners of the Maldives and stressed the importance of resolving differences between countries amicably through peaceful means. Minister Shahid also stated that the Maldives viewed the decision taken by India regarding Article 370 of the Indian Constitution as an internal matter," a statement by Maldives Foreign Ministry read.

Maldives' response marks another setback for Pakistan, which has been making continuous efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, despite being snubbed at the United Nations Security Council and several other fronts.