Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir

rdf:langString Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir

rdf:langString On 5 August 2019, the Parliament of India voted in favour of a resolution tabled by Home Minister Amit Shah to revoke the temporary special status, or autonomy, granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir—a region administered by India as a state which consists of the larger part of Kashmir which has been the subject of dispute among India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. Among the Indian government actions accompanying the revocation was the cutting off of communication lines in the Kashmir Valley restored after 5 months. Thousands of security forces were deployed to curb any uprising. Several leading Kashmiri politicians were taken into custody, including the former chief minister. Government officials described these restrictions as designed for preempting violence, and justified the revocation for enabling people of the state to access government programmes such as reservation, right to education and right to information. The reaction in the Kashmir Valley was effectively reduced to silence through the suspension of communication and with imposition of Curfew (Section 144). Many nationalists celebrated, declaring the move to herald public order and prosperity in Kashmir. Among political parties in India, the revocation was supported by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and, among others, by the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Aam Aadmi Party, AIADMK, Telugu Desam Party, YSR Congress Party, BJD and the Shiv Sena. It was opposed by the Indian National Congress, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Trinamool Congress, Janata Dal (United) and the DMK. In Ladakh, people in the Kargil area, who are Shia Muslim and form the plurality of the population of Ladakh, protested; however, the Buddhist community in Ladakh supported the decision. The President of India issued an order under the power of Article 370, overriding the prevailing 1954 Presidential Order and nullifying all the provisions of autonomy granted to the state. The Home Minister introduced a Reorganisation Bill in the Indian Parliament, seeking to divide the state into two union territories to be governed by a lieutenant governor and a unicameral legislature. The resolution seeking the revocation of the temporary special status under Article 370 and the bill for the state's reorganisation was debated and passed by the Rajya Sabha – India's upper house of parliament – on 5 August 2019. On 6 August, the Lok Sabha – India's lower house of parliament – debated and passed the reorganisation bill along with the resolution recommending the revocation.