Updated Aug 5, 2019

India revokes Kashmir's special status amid crackdown

Zachary Basu, Rebecca Falconer

Indian paramilitary troopers stand guard at a roadblock at Maisuma locality in Srinagar, Kashmir, on Aug.4. Photo: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images

India's government said Monday it is revoking the part of the constitution that gives Indian-administered Kashmir special privileges, the BBC reports.

Why it matters: Tensions are running high in the highly militarized border region that is claimed by both India and Pakistan after the Indian government announced on Sunday night that it was imposing a lockdown, citing possible terrorist attacks by Pakistan-based militants, per Al Jazeera. The revoking of the special status would likely provoke backlash and violence in the Muslim-majority state.

The big picture: Kashmir has been the cause of 2 of the 3 wars fought between the 2 countries. Amid fears of possible attacks, which Pakistan has denied, there are reports that regional leaders have been placed under house arrest and that mobile internet services have been partially suspended.

  • India's president has signed a decree abolishing the special status, Article 370 of the constitution, which gave autonomy to the Himalayan region, Al Jazeera reports.
  • The local government on Friday called off a major Hindu pilgrimage and evacuated thousands of pilgrims and tourists.
  • The Indian government deployed 10,000 troops to the region last week after evacuating the region of tourists.

Go deeper: India denies Trump's claim Modi asked him to mediate on Kashmir

Go deeper

Dave Lawler

Pakistan struggles to rally the world against India's Kashmir crackdown

An Indian paramilitary trooper on an empty street in Srinagar. Photo: Yawar Nazir/ Getty Images

Two weeks after India announced major constitutional changes in Kashmir, a communications blackout continues, political leaders remain locked up, and the unrest India feared when announcing the drastic steps is still threatening to break loose.

The flipside: Pakistan, India’s fierce rival, has been attempting to rally international condemnation of India’s moves in Kashmir, which it also claims and partially controls. Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly compared India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the Nazis and warned without evidence of an “impending genocide” in Kashmir.

Go deeperArrowAug 20, 2019
Dave Lawler

India leaves Kashmir in the dark as it erases special status

A woman walks by security forces today in Indian-administered Kashmir. Photo: Rakesh Bakshi AFP/Getty Images

Residents of Indian-administered Kashmir were largely confined to their homes and cut off from the outside world today while the government in New Delhi unwound the constitutional provisions that defined their place within India for seven decades.

What’s happening: Before making its move, India’s government dispatched thousands of troops to Kashmir, evacuated tourists, detained at least two influential politicians and cut off internet access.

Go deeperArrowAug 6, 2019
Dave Lawler

Trump on the sidelines as key U.S. partners slug it out

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Several of America's key strategic partners are at each other's throats — and the U.S. seems powerless to prevent further escalation.

Why it matters: “None of these crises were made in America,” says Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. “That said, we have made it worse in each case either by what we’ve done or what we haven’t done.”

Go deeperArrowAug 8, 2019