New Delhi has declared it is revoking a decades-old constitutional provision that granted special powers to the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir. The announcement comes amid a security clampdown in the region.
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), as the part of the disputed Kashmir administrated by India is officially called, was granted special privileges under the Indian constitution in the 1950s. It was allowed to have its own state constitution, legislative and executive power over most of its affairs, and enjoyed greater autonomy than regular states of India. Only locals were allowed to own property in the region or hold offices in its government.
Starting Monday, this will no longer be the case, the federal government in New Delhi announced. A resolution to revoke Kashmir’s special status was introduced on Monday by Home Minister Amit Shah and later enshrined in a decree signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, the ceremonial head of India.
New Delhi’s plan also involves splitting the region into two separate union territories, J&K and Ladakh. The latter will not have a legislature of its own, unlike J&K. The Ladakh area is the eastern mountainous and sparsely populated part of Indian-administrated Kashmir, which has a shorter border with Pakistani-controlled land, in contrast to J&K which is dominated by valleys.
The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced intentions to abolish Article 370, which granted Kashmir its special status, in 2014 during a general election campaign. But at that time, the promise was resisted by local J&K authorities.
The declaration comes amid a security clampdown in the region, which includes deployment of additional troops in key areas, a blackout of internet and phone services, a ban on public gatherings in the main city of Srinagar, and other measures. Some regional leaders, including Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of the state, were placed under house arrest.
The special status of J&K stemmed from its demographic composition. It’s the only part under Indian administration where Muslims constitute a majority, so the privileges and protections given to it alleviated fears of forced assimilation. Since last year, the region has been ruled directly by India’s federal government, so there have been concerns that Kashmir’s autonomy would be scrapped for quite some time.
Also on rt.com India says it thwarted ‘infiltration’ attempt by Pakistani army in latest Kashmir flare-upThe latest tensions in J&K were sparked on Friday when local Indian officials announced they had intelligence about an imminent attack by Pakistani-backed militant groups. The claim provoked panic among Hindu pilgrims and workers, who fled the region in the thousands. Pakistan rejected India’s accusations.
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Source : RT - Daily news
India moves to revoke Kashmir autonomy amid clampdown on local authorities
India moves to revoke Kashmir autonomy amid clampdown on local authorities
