Pakistan condemns 'illegal' India step in Kashmir

Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday condemned India's move to abolish Kashmir's special status as "illegal", insisting it was an internationally recognised disputed territory.

"No unilateral step by the Government of India can change this disputed status... As the party to this international dispute, Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It added that the move, which Islamabad "strongly rejects and condemns", will not "ever be acceptable to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan".

"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," the statement said.

India's decision to strip Kashmir of the special autonomy it has enjoyed for seven decades has also prompted condemnation on Pakistani Twitter, where at one point the top six trending hashtags all related to the move.

Pakistan's human rights minister Shireen Mazari branded the step "illegal annexation" in a tweet.