India Revokes Special Status of Muslim-Majority Kashmir
NEW DELHI (Washington Post) — India said Monday it was revoking a constitutional provision granting certain autonomous powers to Indian-controlled Kashmir, setting the stage for new clashes in the disputed region.
The move followed a tense night during which Indian authorities put prominent politicians under house arrest in Srinagar, Kashmir’s capital, and cut off mobile and Internet services to the Himalayan region. Thousands of Indian troops were deployed to Kashmir before the announcement.
Amit Shah, India’s interior minister, told Parliament that the government would revoke Article 370, which gives Kashmir the right to make its own laws. The step also nullifies another provision that bars nonresidents from purchasing property in the state. …
Today, Indian-controlled Kashmir is the country’s only majority-Muslim state, where militants for three decades have battled Indian forces, seeking independence or more autonomy. Pakistan disputes India’s control of the territory, and the two countries have gone to war over the region.
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