The UAE has expressed support for India's decision to abolish Kashmir's autonomy, saying it is a step that encourages "stability and peace" and improved conditions for the population, a move that led to the expulsion of the Indian ambassador to Pakistan two days ago.
"The move by India to abolish Kashmir's autonomy will encourage more stability and peace," UAE-based Gulf News quoted Ahmed al-Banna, Abu Dhabi's ambassador to New Delhi, as saying.
The UAE ambassador said that his country expects this step to improve the social and economic conditions and confidence in the local government of the people of "Jammu and Kashmir."
The reorganization of States was not a unique event in the history of an independent India and was aimed primarily at reducing regional disparities and improving efficiency, and the recent decision on Kashmir was an internal matter as stipulated in the Indian Constitution.
The Indian government announced last Monday that it would abolish article 370 of the Constitution, which gives autonomy to the so-called state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian part of the region, prompting Pakistan on Wednesday to expel the Indian ambassador and suspend bilateral trade agreements.
Residents of the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir have been demanding independence from India and joining Pakistan since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947, where conflict over the region has led to three wars between the two arch-neighbors.