The special autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir guaranteed under Articles 370 and 35-A of Indian Constitution has been revoked by India which has consequently caused outcry at national and international fora. The most important element included in Article 35-A was that anyone living outside Kashmir could not acquire land or property in Kashmir. So, what motivated India to decide to scrape Article 370? We will need to glance over international precedents to comprehend this phenomenon. Article 370 will potentially allow the rich private sector in India to acquire land in Kashmir and then evict Kashmiris from their land by diminishing them into minority. The Indian opposition parties have called it the darkest chapter in Indian democracy and have also challenged the legality of the action through a presidential order.
Narendra Modi’s malicious venture of scrapping 370 Article and annexing India-occupied Kashmir triggers severe repercussions not only for the entire region but also for the world. Abrogation of this Article was also the part of manifesto of BJP in 2019 election and eventually, it had ventured to remove this thin veil hanging over its occupation and BJP, of course, now faces no hindrances in diverting Muslim-majority into minority in Kashmir by emphasizing the importance of Hindu supremacy and maintaining their hegemony.
MANNAN SAMAD
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