The Indian Government on Monday revoked Kashmir’s special status and restructured the state’s governance in one of the most significant moves in the disputed Himalayan region in seven decades.
The move has however been condemned by Pakistan which described it as an illegal act.
Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which confers special status on Jammu and Kashmir and gives it a certain amount of autonomy, has been removed via an order signed by President Ram Kovind, Home Minister, Amit Shah, told parliament.
The state would also be “re-organised”, Shah said, prompting protests from lawmakers, who opposed the surprise move.
Domestic media reported the state would be broken into two federally-administered territories: Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Ladakh.
The move followed days of uncertainty amid a massive build-up of troops in the region and the midnight house arrest of top Kashmiri politicians including former chief ministers, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah.
The decision is expected to spark unrest in the region and escalate tensions with Pakistan.
India and Pakistan administer separate portions of Muslim-majority Kashmir, but both claim the region in its entirety and have fought two wars over it.
“Today marks the darkest day in Indian democracy,’’ Mufti tweeted.
The “unilateral” decision was “illegal and unconstitutional and will make India an occupational force in Jammu and Kashmir,’’ she added.
Article 370 permits Kashmir its own constitution, a separate flag and independence over all matters except foreign affairs, defence and communication.
It was the basis under which the former princely state acceded to India when it was partitioned in 1947.
The decree was put up on the government’s website soon after Shah’s announcement and officials said it would come into force immediately.
Article 370 has long been contentious in India.
The ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party had opposed the special status for the state for decades and had included striking down the article as part of its election manifesto.
The ruling party argues that scrapping the law will help complete the integration of Kashmir with India.
The article forbade non-Kashmiris and Indians from permanently settling, buying land, getting state jobs or education scholarships.
The region has seen a bloody insurgency against authorities in India-administered Kashmir since the late 1980s, with thousands of lives lost.
India claims Pakistan aids and abets militancy in Kashmir, a charge Islamabad denies.
It calls militants freedom fighters.
As expected, Pakistan has condemned and rejected the move by India to revoke the special constitutional status for the disputed region of Kashmir.
Pakistan foreign ministry, in a statement, warned that it will exercise all possible options to counter the “illegal step.”
“The Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory,” the ministry said.
“No unilateral step by the government of India can change this disputed status nor will this ever be acceptable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan.”
The ministry said that its status had been upheld by UN Security Council resolutions.
“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 added.
