U.S. Calls for Release of Kashmir Leaders Held ‘Without Charge’

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. urged India to release political leaders detained without charge in its portion of Kashmir and to grant American diplomats regular access to the restive region.

“I was pleased to see some incremental steps, including the partial return of internet service in Kashmir,” Alice Wells, the U.S. State Department’s Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, told reporters in Washington on Friday. “We see this as a useful step.”

The statement is a reiteration of Wells' demand in September after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government abolished regional autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, and detained local political leaders as well as imposed communication curbs.

The remarks Friday were followed by a tweet by Pakistan’s Premier Imran Khan, who termed it as an acknowledgement of “anti-democractic and fascist ideology being imposed” in the Indian portion of Kashmir.

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