*ISLAMABAD: After strong measures against India over the issue of theOccupied Kashmir, New Delhi makes a request to Pakistan.*

New Delhi on Thursday urged Islamabad to review its decision of downgradingdiplomatic ties a day after Pakistan responded to India’s unilateral andillegal move of changing occupied Kashmir’s autonomous status.

A statement by the Indian Foreign Ministry said that it ‘regretted’ thesteps taken by Pakistan and would want Islamabad to review them in order topreserve normal channels for diplomatic communications.

New Delhi reiterated stance that Article 370 was “entirely the internalaffair of India.”

Pakistan on Wednesday downgraded diplomatic ties and suspended bilateraltrade with India in response to New Delhi’s illegal annexation of disputedJammu and Kashmir region.

Within an hour of the government decision to downgrade diplomatic ties withIndia, Pakistan officially asked New Delhi to withdraw its HighCommissioner Ajay Bisariafrom Islamabad. Similarly, Pakistan now would not send its newly-appointedenvoy Moinul Haq to New Delhi, who was due to take up his new diplomaticassignment on August 16.

The decision was part of a series of measures announced by the governmentafter civil-military leadership discussed the situation, arising out ofIndian decision to abrogate Article 370 of its constitution, which gave theHimalayan region a special status.