India Pulls Kashmir’s Autonomy: Washington Post

After little parliamentary debate and virtually no citizen input, the Modi government is scrapping two articles in the Indian constitution that apply to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, splitting the state and administering two sections as a union territory. At the same time, the government increased its troop presence, closed schools and the internet, and placed some leaders under house arrest. Ahsan Butt, a professor with George Mason University, explains the complicated history and the risks of loss of autonomy. “The state, technically independent when British colonization ended, became part of India only in wartime, when Pakistan sought to seize control of the territory in 1947,” he writes. “India’s federal government controls foreign affairs, defense, finance and communications in J&K – but leaves other governance matters to provincial representatives.” Citizens appreciated the status even if autonomy was largely symbolic. Area decisions will be subjected to a central government veto, and there are worries that Hindus may copy Israel in creating settlements in the Muslim-majority area. Pakistan, which supports Kashmiri separatism, has suspended relations with India. The decision will head to India’s courts. – YaleGlobal