India revokes article 370, splits J&K

The Indian government yesterday stripped Kashmir of the special  autonomy it has had for seven decades. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party rushed through a presidential decree to scrap from the constitution the Indian-ruled part of the territory’s special status. It also moved a bill proposing the Indian-administered part of Kashmir be divided into two regions directly ruled by New Delhi.

Ahead of the announcements, tens of thousands of extra Indian troops were deployed in the territory, and a security lockdown was imposed overnight Sunday with all telecommunications there cut. Home Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Modi, told parliament the president had issued a decree abolishing Article 370 of the constitution, which gives special autonomy to the Himalayan region. The decree said the measure came into force “at once”.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry condemned the move as “illegal”. “As the party to this international dispute, Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps,” it said in a statement. A senior Pakistani security source said that a meeting of the Pakistani military’s top commanders had been called for Tuesday. Kashmir has been divided between Indian and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. 

The announcement sparked chaotic scenes in the national parliament, and the main opposition Congress party described it as a “catastrophic step”. One lawmaker from the regional Kashmir-based Peoples Democratic Party tore up a copy of the Indian constitution before being reportedly removed from the chambers by parliamentary marshals. 

The announcement follows days of uncertainty in the region that began on Friday when New Delhi ordered tourists and Hindu pilgrims to leave “immediately”. All phones, internet services and cable networks in the restive Himalayan region of more than seven million people were cut at midnight, and only residents issued with a curfew pass were allowed on the streets.

Article 370 of the Indian constitution gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.  It limited the power of the Indian parliament to impose laws in the state, apart from matters of defence, foreign affairs and communications.