Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi listens during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad, Pakistan August 20, 2018

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is not looking at a military option over Kashmir, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday, after neighbouring India revoked its decades-old special constitutional status for the disputed region this week.

However, Pakistan reserves the right to respond to any Indian aggression, Qureshi told a news conference in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

“We’re not looking at military option,” Qureshi said, adding, “Don’t we reserve a right to respond in case of any aggression?”

Regional leaders have warned of a backlash against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision this week on Jammu and Kashmir, which also split the state into two federal territories to allow the government greater control.