Islamabad, Aug 5 (IANS): Pakistan on Monday said that it "strongly condemns and rejects" the announcement by India to abrogate Article 370 granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir and said that it will "exercise all possible options to counter it".
The Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement: "The Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory."
It said that "no unilateral step" by the Indian government can "change the disputed status" according to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
"Nor will this ever be acceptable to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan."
It said that as party to this international dispute, "Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps."
"Pakistan reaffirms its abiding commitment to the Kashmir cause and its political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir for realization of their inalienable right to self-determination," it said.
The statement came soon after Union Home Minister Amit Shah proposed to scrap Article 370 of the Constitution which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir and said the state will be split into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh without one.