Pakistan foresaw 'Indian game plan' in Kashmir, warned UN on August 1

The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in the Manhattan borough of New York August 15, 2014. (Reuters)

• In a letter to top United Nations officials, Qureshi said India was preparing ground to deprive Kashmir of its special status
• The foreign minister also noted New Delhi wanted to change demographic structure of the region to impact plebiscite arrangement

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi wrote a letter to the United Nations Secretary General and Presidents of the UN Security Council and General Assembly on August 1, discussing the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir and expressing his government’s concern that New Delhi was preparing ground to abolish Articles 35-A and 370 of its constitution.
The letter was circulated by the country’s foreign office for the first time on Monday, only a few hours after India scrapped Kashmir’s special status under the same constitutional provisions.
Article 35-A defined the residents of Indian-administered Kashmir and limited subjects like property ownership and state citizenship to the current residents of the area while Article 370 guaranteed significant autonomy to the Muslim-majority state.
Qureshi mentioned in his letter that striking down these constitutional provisions could change the demographic structure of the disputed region and “materially affect the plebiscite arrangements to be held under the UN auspices.”
“In light of the developments mentioned above,” he wrote, “I wish to draw your attention to United Nations Security Council Resolution 38, which calls upon Pakistan and India, ‘to inform the Council immediately of any material change in the situation which occurs or appears to either of them to be about to occur while the matter is under consideration by the Council, and consult with the Council thereon.’”
“I, therefore, urge you and the United Nations,” the foreign minister added, “to immediately take note of the serious situation and in this regard a) urge India to stall state oppression and stop human rights abuses; b) refrain from unprovoked firing across [the Line of Control]; and c) halt any actions that could bring about a material change in the situation on ground, in violation of Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.”
Qureshi also reiterated Pakistan’s call to establish a UN fact-finding mission to visit Indian-administered Kashmir to assess the on-ground situation. 
“Commensurate with the gravity of evolving situation in [Indian Occupied Kashmir] and to prevent its potential ramifications for the region, I would once again urge you to appoint a UN Special Representative on Jammu and Kashmir.”