Modi rejects calls to restore status of held Kashmir

Published November 9, 2024
Srinagar: BJP legislators being taken out of the house by marshals amid a protest against the resolution to restore special status for India-held Jammu and Kashmir during an assembly session, on Friday.—AFP
Srinagar: BJP legislators being taken out of the house by marshals amid a protest against the resolution to restore special status for India-held Jammu and Kashmir during an assembly session, on Friday.—AFP

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed his government’s contentious 2019 decision to revoke the partial autonomy of held Jammu and Kashmir by changing the constitution, after the territory’s newly elected lawmakers renewed call for restoration of its special status.

“Only the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar will operate in Kashmir... No power in the world can restore Article 370 (partial autonomy) in Kashmir,” Modi said, referring to one of the founding fathers of the Indian constitution.

He was speaking at a state election rally in Maharashtra, where Ambedkar was from.

The disputed region, where Kashmiris have fought Indian security forces for decades, is a Muslim-majority area.

However, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party government revoked partial autonomy of held Kashmir in 2019 and split the internationally recognized disputed state into the two federally administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

While the held Jammu and Kashmir recently conducted its first local election in a decade, the newly-elected lawmakers passed a resolution this week seeking immediate restoration of the status.

Under the system of partial autonomy, India-held Kashmir had its own constitution and the freedom to make laws on all issues, except foreign affairs and defence.

However, after the controversial amendment to the Indian constitution, new lawmakers of held Jammu and Kashmir cannot legislate on matters regarding public order and policing.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....
Time to deliver
Updated 11 Nov, 2024

Time to deliver

Pakistan must display a serious commitment to climate change adaptation and mitigation at home.
Smaller government
11 Nov, 2024

Smaller government

THE IMF bailout programme has put the government under pressure to curtail its spending, especially current...
Unsafe inheritance
11 Nov, 2024

Unsafe inheritance

DESPITE regulations, the troubling practice of robbing women of their rightful inheritance — the culprits are ...