Iran’s Foreign Ministry reacted to the current developments concerning the disputed Jammu and Kashmir regions, saying in a statement on Wednesday that “the Islamic Republic of Iran is closely following the recent decision by the Indian government regarding Jammu and Kashmir, and will take into careful consideration the explanations presented by both Indian and Pakistani

The United States on Wednesday said it supports direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on the disputed Kashmir region and called for calm and restraint as the dispute escalated. “We continue to support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on Kashmir and other issues of concern,” a department spokeswoman said in a statement.

Despite a paralyzing curfew, imposed to head off unrest, sporadic protests have been reported by residents in the main city Srinagar. A protester died after being chased by police during a curfew in Kashmir’s main city, left in turmoil by an Indian government move to tighten control over the restive region, a police official said

Thousands of Indian security forces kept a lid on protests in disputed Kashmir on Wednesday, helped by the continued suspension of telephone and internet services after the Himalayan region’s special status was scrapped this week. A protester died after being chased by police during a curfew in Kashmir’s main city, Srinagar, left in turmoil by

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he had expressed concern to his Indian counterpart about the situation in the disputed Kashmir region. “I have to spoken to the Indian Foreign Minister,” Raab said on Wednesday. “We’ve expressed some of our concerns around the situation and called for calm, but also had a clear readout of

Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India. Some complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and

Rights bodies say India uses torture as ‘instrument of control’ to quash rebellion in Indian-administered Kashmir. By Rifat Fareed Prisoners in Indian-administered Kashmir have been subjected to abuse and torture, including “water-boarding, sleep deprivation and sexualised torture”, according to a report by two rights bodies. The 560-page report released on Monday mentions solitary confinement, sleep

By Aijaz Hussain  A prominent rights group in Indian-controlled Kashmir is advocating for the United Nations to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate what it calls the endemic use of torture by government forces who have faced a decades-long anti-India uprising in the disputed region. The Jammu-Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society on Monday released

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said “Pakistan will accept” the decision of the people of Kashmir through plebiscite. Qureshi was responding to the Sky News journalist Dominic Waghorn in an exclusive interview on World View whether Pakistan had plans to “liberate” Kashmir. Waghorn noted that “there are many in Kashmir who don’t want freedom

Locals on Sunday rejected police claims regarding civilian Shahid Manzoor Mir, one of the two persons killed during an encounter in Khudpora, Gagran area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. The other slain has been identified as Irfan Ahmad Bhat son of Ali Mohammad of Bandzoo Pulwama at present Gund Haadu, Memendar, Shopian. In a statement,