(Image source from: www.indiatoday.in)

The issue surrounding Kashmir has been at its peak ever since the retraction of the Article 370. With so many happenstances going around in the state, especially with the Pak involvement, the Indian ambassador expressed his gratitude to the Trump administration on the “very understanding view” on this specific situation.

Harsha Vardhan Shringla, who is the Indian ambassador stated saying, “We are happy that we have that understanding and support from our friends in the U.S. administration.” The statement was issued in his residency during the festivities of Diwali.

The event arranged by the Indian ambassador at his residence was attended by some of the eminent personalities including Indian-Americans and a number of senior members of the Trump administration, to name a few.

Highlighting India’s decision to revoke the special status of Kashmir, Shringla stated saying, “This is the new paradigm, which has never been attempted before...I must say that we have received the fullest support from our friends and particularly from the United States.”

According to Shringla, everything that happened around in Kashmir and with the decisions imposed by the government, every bit of it is a personal matter which is expected to change the course of situation at Kashmir for the better. He believes that this decision is not just going to bring around better economic prosperity but also enhance the security around that state. The US administration has deeply monitored the situation and taken a better understanding of the situation which is something that the Indian ambassador is thankful for.

The US administration clarified stating that the subject of Indo-Pak peace talks lies on Islamabad’s move to take around better sustained and irreversible action on the terrorist situation at hand. Following the revoke of the article 370, Pakistan downgraded some of the diplomatic ties with New Delhi and also ended up expelling the Indian envoy.

Mr. Shringla also emphasized on the support they received from US stating, “We also have always enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress. We are very proud of the fact that our relationship is based on bipartisan support.”

He further stated saying, “We would like to preserve that bipartisan spirit. We would like to see all members of Congress understand and appreciate the compulsions under which we are operating, appreciate the efforts of the government to bring about a positive change in Jammu and Kashmir and to understand that the changes that have been brought about enjoy the support of the people of India.”

The envoy believed and hoped that the US lawmakers would understand for a fact that these changes that are being introduced are for the better and can impact positive changes in the long run between both the countries.

Jammu and Kashmir was converted into an Union territory from a state on October 31, 2019 following the revoke of the special status that they had under the Article 370. Referring this as a positive move for the nation, Mr. Shringla said that now when one looks at the map of India, they can clearly see a united and unified map.

By Somapika Dutta