The full-time revocation of Article 370 and 35A in Kashmir has triggered panic, political unrest, and global deliberation, all in the last week. Designated as a “sinister” and “apocalyptic” move by the Indian Government, the abolishment of a decades-old law that significantly gave a measure of autonomy to the disputed Muslim-majority region is now dismissed.
For new readers, below are brief details that justify the ongoing noise on #370 and why Pakistan is shaken.
What is Article 370 and 35A?
Indian-administered Kashmir was granted special status by the Indian Government, which was the basis of Kashmir’s accession to the Indian Union at the time of Independence, i.e., in 1949.
Jammu and Kashmir and their legal states had the choice to join either Pakistan or India after the end of British rule in 1947. This clearly dignified Jammu and Kashmir to be governed outside of the Indian constitution and declare its own jurisdiction except for defense, finance, foreign affairs, and communications. Article 370 tied the hands of residents and denied property rights in the region to outsiders. Residents lived under different laws, further fueling in-state terrorism.
Article 35A: In force by 1954, through Presidential rule, article 35A was a declaration of continuation of #370, where outsiders were prohibited from buying, selling, and permanently settling in Kashmir. Female residents were barred from marrying anyone outside of Kashmir. Clearly, 35A discriminates against women; it was diluted in the past week in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
What does this all mean?
With the special status now being repealed, Indians would be able to buy and sell land in Kashmir. This will flourish both real-estate, create employment opportunities and motivate economic transformation within the religiously tied valley. The political parties of Kashmir ruling for 70 years i.e. Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah fear that Kashmir will now lead to a demographic transformation i.e. from majority-Muslim to majority-Hindu.
“Today, the people of Jammu & Kashmir who reposed their faith in institutions of India like parliament & Supreme Court feel defeated & betrayed. By dismembering the state & fraudulently taking away what is rightfully & legally ours, they have further complicated the Kashmir dispute,”-says Mebbooba Mufti on Twitter.
More, Omar Abdullah also released a letter through ANI. Both Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, according to Hindustan Times, were arrested and shifted to VVIP Guest House on August 5, 2019, under the command of Srinagar Magistrate.
How’s Pakistan reacting to this?
After the removal of #370, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, called out a special Parliamentary session to initiate an all-out campaign against India on an urgent basis. In response to the sudden dissolution of #370, Pakistan downgraded all diplomatic relations with India, conducted and shared emissaries to China and the UN, and announced the grouping of all Islamic countries, i.e., OIC or Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, to formulate a strong opposition against India.
Along with these pessimistic announcements, the Pakistan Prime Minister warned of another Pulwama kind of terror incident in India. However, the high-pitched campaign going on for the past week was dejected by the UN as Joanna Wronecka, President of UNSC, showed no weight to the ongoing #370 tension. After the UN, Pakistan got a cold shoulder from the Taliban, USA, and Russia, while China kept Pakistan guessing. The biggest shock for Pakistan came when OIC declared that it would not interfere in the diplomatic crisis between India and Pakistan.
Current Situation in Srinagar
Eid prayers were peaceful in Kashmir recently within massive security restrictions. The streets remain deserted and watched consistently by security personnel. There has been no sign of any terror attack, mob attack, or peddling in Srinagar since the diffusion of #370, and the state slowly returned to normalcy, while Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah still remain under arrest.
