Indian government revokes Kashmir special status


Indian Home Secretary Amit Shah said Monday that the federal government had revoked decades-old special laws for the disputed Kashmir region, causing an uproar in parliament. Hours earlier, Delhi had cut off internet and phone services in Kashmir, put some regional politicians under house arrest, banned public gatherings, and closed schools in a security crackdown aimed at stemming violent unrest over the news.
Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government had revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which allows Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir limited autonomy and legislative powers and blocks Indians outside the Himalayan state from buying land or holding local government jobs in Kashmir. Monday's presidential order says it will "come into force at once" and will "supersede the Constitution." Modi's government also introduced a law that would divide Jammu and Kashir state into two union territories, splitting off Buddhist-majority Ladakh and placing it under direct rule by Delhi.
Despite the phone and internet blackout, Kashmir's former chief minister Mehbooba Mufi tweeted that revoking Article 370 is "illegal" and "unconstitutional," adding, "Today marks the darkest day in Indian democracy." Two of the three wars India and Pakistan have fought since independence in 1947 have been over Kashmir, a territory both nuclear-armed countries claim as part of their respective countries.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army: a troubling documentary
The Week Recommends BBC2's harrowing two-part series shines a light on the abuse at the heart of the Christian group
-
The Naked Gun: 'a dumb comedy of the expert kind'
The Week Recommends Liam Neeson shows off his comedy chops in this reboot of Leslie Nielsen's crime spoof
-
King of Kings: 'excellent' book examines Iran's 1979 revolution and its global impacts
The Week Recommends Scott Anderson 'easily and elegantly' paints a picture of a century of Iran's history
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein files
Speed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oil
Speed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
-
NY's Hochul vows response to Texas gerrymander
Speed Read Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to play ball with redistricting that favors the Democrats
-
Texas Democrats exit state to block redistricting vote
Speed Read More than 51 legislators fled the state in protest of the GOP's plan to redraw congressional districts
-
Trump criticized for firing BLS chief after jobs report
Speed Read Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Erika McEntarfer oversaw a July jobs report that the president claims was rigged
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect