Amid tensions, Pakistan FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi departs for China

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi departed for the Chinese capital of Beijing on Friday morning, amid tensions in the region following the scrapping of special status to Jammu and Kashmir by India.

During the visit, Qureshi will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and other leaders and is expected to hold deliberations on the Kashmir issue.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood is accompanying Qureshi.

Tensions between India and Pakistan spiralled after the Indian Parliament on Tuesday passed a resolution to revoke Article 370 and a bill bifurcating Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

Rattled by New Delhi's decisions, Islamabad "rejected" the move and said it will exercise "all possible options" to counter the steps.

Pakistan on Wednesday decided to downgrade bilateral ties with India and suspend all bilateral trade activities with the neighbouring country.

On its part, New Delhi asked Islamabad to review its decision so that normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved while strictly maintaining that its steps in Jammu and Kashmir are an "entirely internal affair".

China also opposed India's move saying it "undermined China's territorial sovereignty". Following this, New Delhi brushed off Beijing's statement maintaining that it is an "internal matter".

-ANI

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