Pakistan on August 13 called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council following India's decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy, which Islamabad says threatens international peace and could lead to ethnic cleansing and genocide in the Muslim-majority region.

India's Hindu nationalist-led government on August 5 announced it was revoking Indian Kashmir's special constitutional status and downgrading its statehood, after placing the Muslim majority region under a security lockdown on August 4, with mobile, landline, and Internet networks cut off.

In an address to the nation on August 8, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the move would allow New Delhi to rid the region of "terrorism and separatism."

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a letter to the Security Council, denounced 'recent aggressive actions' by India's government, saying they 'willfully undermine the internationally recognized disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.'

Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan and divided between them. Rebels have been fighting Indian rule for decades and most Kashmiri residents want independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Qureshi also accused India of implementing a 'racist ideology' aimed at turning Kashmir from a Muslim-majority into a Hindu-majority territory.

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz, whose country holds the council presidency this month, said members would discuss the letter.

He said 'strained relations between India and Pakistan negatively affect the whole South Asia region.'

Based on reporting by AP

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