Visiting the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley for the first time since 2019, Modi said that Kashmir's development was a priority for India as it sits like a crown in the country's north.
REUTERS
Schools were shut and exams postponed as thousands of government employees gathered for Modi's meeting. / Photo: Reuters
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a historic visit to the disputed region of Kashmir, marking his first trip to the territory in five years.
The Muslim-majority region is administered by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small portion is also held by China.
The region has been a contentious point of contention for decades, with periodic escalations leading to military confrontations and diplomatic strains.
Thursday's visit comes against the backdrop of India's recent actions, such as the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, altering the special status of Kashmir.
The Himalayan region has been transformed and integrated with the rest of India, Modi has claimed, crediting the change to his government's contentious decision to revoke its special status.
Visiting the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley for the first time since 2019 — the year the status was revoked — Modi said that Kashmir's development was a priority for India as it sits like a crown in the country's north.
"This new Jammu-Kashmir has the courage to overcome any challenge," Modi told thousands of people attending a public meeting at a stadium in Srinagar, the region's summer capital, amid tight security.
"The country is seeing these smiling faces of yours ... (and) feeling relieved to see you all happy."
'Awaiting for decades'
Modi's visit to a region roiled for decades by violence comes weeks before general elections in which he will seek a rare third term.
Although his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not a key player in Kashmir, the visit is seen as a signal to its voters that the party has fulfilled a core promise to end Kashmir's special status.
"This is the new Jammu and Kashmir we had been awaiting for decades," Modi added, listing achievements and investments made during the last five years.
Exams postponed for Modi's visit
Armed security personnel guarded downtown areas of Srinagar, commandos in boats patrolled its scenic Dal Lake, and the use of drones was banned. Schools were shut and exams postponed as thousands of government employees gathered for the meeting.
Modi has said Kashmir's special status allowed it a measure of administrative autonomy that held back its development and his government has unveiled several investment and infrastructure projects.
Kashmiri politicians who opposed revocation of special status criticised Modi's visit.
"This visit is only meant to ... drum up support amongst the BJP's core constituency in the rest of India for the upcoming parliament elections," Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister and former BJP ally, posted on social network X.
India PM Modi praises Kashmir transformation on first visit in 5 years
New Delhi, Mar 7 (EFE).- India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that Kashmir has undergone a significant transformation and experienced freedom since the Indian government revoked its special semi-autonomous status five years ago.
Modi made the remarks during his first visit to the Indian-administered region since the contentious withdrawal of its semi-autonomous status nearly five years ago.
“This is the new Jammu Kashmir that we had been waiting for decades,” Modi said, addressing a packed stadium in Srinagar.
The Hindu nationalist leader said that the revocation has granted freedom and opened up “new opportunities” for the residents of Kashmir to pursue their “dreams.”
On Aug. 5, 2019, the Indian parliament abolished Article 370 of the constitution, which had granted semi-autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and allowed it to enact laws and have its own constitution, among other provisions.
The decision, bringing Kashmir under the direct administration of New Delhi, also resulted in unprecedented restrictions in the region, including an extended 18-month internet shutdown, to forestall protests and revolts.
Modi attended Thursday’s gathering under tight security measures, with security forces maintaining a vigilant presence around the stadium and nearby areas.
Over the past few days, thousands of armed police and paramilitary forces were deployed on the main roads of Srinagar, conducting door-to-door searches and random checks of pedestrians and vehicles across the region.
The city also underwent an intense facelift, adorned with thousands of posters and flags of Modi’s party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), displayed throughout the city.
Modi’s visit to the Muslim-majority region comes ahead of the Indian general elections, expected between April and May, where he is seeking a third consecutive term.
During the visit, schools were closed, and employees from at least 10 government departments were instructed to attend the prime minister’s rally, official sources told EFE.
Modi also inaugurated several projects worth $169 million to boost the Himalayan region’s tourism sector.
The picturesque territory has been a longstanding point of contention between India and Pakistan since their partition in 1947.
India has consistently accused Pakistan of supporting “terrorism” and insurgency in Kashmir, a charge Islamabad vehemently denies. EFE
sa-hbc/bks/ks
Indian PM Modi visits Kashmir for first time since special status revoked
Narendra Modi (L) during an exhibition ahead of the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu Kashmir’ at the Bakshi stadium in Srinagar on Thursday. AFP
Addressing a crowd in a soccer stadium in Srinagar, Modi announced development projects, and said previous governments had misled people over the region's now-scrapped special status.
"The success story of Jammu and Kashmir will be the center of attraction for the world," he said, saying that the region has prospered since the 2019 move. "I have always said that the hard work I am doing is to win your hearts. I will work towards winning your hearts further,” Modi told the crowd.
Modi and his party have accused Kashmir’s pro-India parties of being corrupt, misleading Kashmiris and promoting separatism in the region. Kashmiri politicians, who say their special status was a constitutional guarantee, have called Modi divisive and anti-minority.
Thousands of armed paramilitary troops and police in flak jackets maintained extra vigilance across the Kashmir Valley. Modi’s two previous visits to Kashmir after its status was changed were to the Hindu-dominated city of Jammu.
Modi did not mention plans to hold elections in the region or to restore its statehood, both demanded by Kashmir's pro-India political parties. The last election for the regional legislature were held in 2014, but the government elected then was dismissed in 2018.
In 2019, Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government revoked the region’s semi-autonomous status, annulled its separate constitution, split the area into two federal territories — Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir — and removed inherited protections on land and jobs. The Muslim-majority region is now run by unelected government officials and bureaucrats.
India's powerful home minister, Amit Shah, has repeatedly promised that the region would be regain statehood after elections.
In December, India’s Supreme Court upheld the 2019 decision and asked the government to conduct state polls by September.
HEAVY SECURITY
Ahead of Modi’s visit to Srinagar, government forces laid razor wires and erected checkpoints on roads leading to the venue. They randomly frisked residents and searched vehicles, while navy commandos in motorboats patrolled the Jhelum River that snakes through the city.
Authorities ordered thousands of government employees, including teachers, to attend the meeting, and most schools in the city were closed for the day.
Thursday’s event is seen as part of Modi’s campaign ahead of national elections scheduled in April and May.
Kashmiri politicians who opposed revocation of special status criticised Modi's visit. "This visit is only meant to ... drum up support amongst the BJP's core constituency in the rest of India for the upcoming parliament elections," Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister and former BJP ally, posted on social network X.
Associated Press
India’s Modi visits Kashmir: How has the region changed since 2019?
Here’s a look at Narendra Modi’s government policies and how they have affected Kashmir since the region’s semi-autonomous status was taken away.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made his first visit to Kashmir since his government’s controversial 2019 decision to scrap the region’s special semi-autonomous status.
Addressing a crowd at a football stadium in the region’s largest city, Srinagar, Modi claimed that the removal of Article 370, which granted a measure of autonomy to Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, had ushered in development and peace.
“I am working hard to win your hearts, and my attempt to keep winning your hearts will continue,” Modi said even as the region was placed under a security blanket, with thousands of soldiers and paramilitary forces deployed and new checkpoints set up.
The 2019 decision was hailed by the Hindu nationalist movement that Modi represents, but was met with anger in Kashmir – one of India’s only two Muslim-majority regions – which has seen a decades-long armed rebellion against Indian rule.
Since then, Modi has visited Hindu-majority Jammu region, but has stayed away from Kashmir, until now, on the eve of the 2024 national elections.
Modi and his government have claimed that the scrapping of Article 370, and their subsequent policies in Kashmir, have helped transform the region for the better.
Here’s a look at key changes brought to Kashmir by Modi’s government since 2019:
Special status under Article 370 removed
Article 370, which was enshrined in India’s constitution signifying Kashmir’s unique relationship with New Delhi, granted the Himalayan region a large measure of autonomy: Kashmir had its own constitution and flag, it could make its own laws in all matters except finance, defence, foreign affairs and communications.
Until 1965, the Indian-administered region had its own prime minister under whom property and domicile laws were passed to protect the interests and territorial rights of the region’s Indigenous people.
However, successive Indian governments watered down the autonomy, leaving the region, in some cases, with fewer powers than other states in India’s federal structure. The region had become heavily militarised after armed rebellion erupted in the late 1980s.
The 2019 revocation of Article 370 resulted in the loss of Kashmir’s flag, criminal code and constitutional guarantees. Several Indian states have laws in place to protect the tribal and Indigenous populations. Kashmir no longer does.
In December 2023, the Indian Supreme Court upheld the 2019 decision. Kashmir has been a major source of conflict between India and its neighbour, Pakistan, for more than 75 years. Both countries claim Kashmir in its entirety but govern only a portion of it.
Indian-administrated Kashmir bifurcated into two
Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two regions – Jammu and Kashmir in the west and Ladakh in the east. Neither region has statehood any more, as a consequence of the Modi government’s 2019 decisions.
Both are governed directly from New Delhi.
But people have expressed their grievances against their lack of democratic rights, with Ladakh too seeing frequent protests for more political rights and authority in local governance.
No elections for state legislature
The two new regions – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh – have been without a state legislature since 2019. The last state elections were held in 2014 – the year Modi first came to power.
In December 2020, the first local elections took place to elect 280 members of District Development Councils (DDC) across Indian-administered Kashmir’s 20 districts. The DDC members, however, do not have the power to amend or introduce laws.
There have also been elections to fill seats in the village councils, also called panchayat, and municipal bodies, but they have very limited power, with the region ruled by New Delhi’s representative and bureaucrats.
India’s Supreme Court in December ordered the government to hold local elections by September 30, 2024.
Kashmir’s pro-India political parties have been demanding that elections be held in the region.
Modi and his government, however, have not indicated when they will hold the elections.
Clampdown on free speech
In the wake of the 2019 decision, New Delhi cracked down on rights activists and local politicians, imposed sweeping restrictions on free speech and shutting down the internet for months. Authorities used “antiterror” laws to arrest Kashmiri activists and journalists.
Human rights groups, including United Nations agencies, have criticised New Delhi for its rights violations in Kashmir.
On Friday, Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan was rearrested under an “antiterror” law days after his release from prison after five years. Sultan, the former editor of the now defunct Kashmir Narrator magazine, was arrested in 2018 for “harbouring militants”. His family has denied the allegations.
In November 2021, prominent Kashmiri activist, Khurram Parvez was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj, who was previously associated with Parvez’s human rights organisation, was also arrested. UN experts and Amnesty International have condemned the arrest of Parvez and called for his release.
Journalist Fahad Shah, the editor of independent news portal Kashmir Walla, was released in November 2023 after more than 600 days of confinement under the “antiterror” law.
Journalist Sajad Gul was arrested in January 2022 under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), which allows the detention of an individual without trial for six months.
A global report on internet censorship in 2022 found that Kashmir experienced more internet shutdowns and restrictions than any other region in the world.
Lack of protection for local communities
The Indian government also removed Article 35A of the Indian Constitution, which barred outsiders from permanently settling, buying land and holding local government jobs in the Muslim-majority region.
Other Indian states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Odisha continue to safeguard the property rights of local residents, mostly tribal or Indigenous people.
Non-Kashmiris can now buy property in the region. This has prompted fears that the Modi government is trying to engineer a demographic shift in the Muslim-majority region.
These fears were further fuelled by a new domicile law for Indian citizens that the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs introduced in April 2020.
Under the domicile law, those who have lived in the Indian-administered region for 15 years, or have studied for seven years and appeared in secondary or high school-leaving examinations in educational institutions located in the region, are eligible to become permanent residents. Children of government officials who have served for 10 years in the region are also granted domicile status.
This law too has made Kashmiris fearful of permanent settlement by outsiders, including the family members of Indian security forces. Leaders from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party have rejected that there are attempts to alter the demographics of the region.
Indigenous communities in Kashmir, and Ladakh are also affected by environmental damage and an influx of tourists. Kashmir’s Dal Lake is choked with sewage and its farmers suffer as a result of illegal river mining, and Ladakh is struggling to mitigate flooding and landslides.
Attempt at delimitation in Kashmir
The New Delhi-run local authorities have also redrawn assembly constituencies that many Kashmiris fear are aimed at the democratic marginalisation of Muslims.
A delimitation commission is assigning more legislative seats to the Hindu-majority Jammu region – where the BJP has wide support – than Kashmir Valley, despite the latter having a higher population. The total seats from Jammu region are expected to rise to 43 from 37, but only by one in Kashmir – to 47 from the existing 46, in effect changing the balance of power within the legislature.
Armed attacks continue in Indian-administered Kashmir
Modi’s ruling BJP government has said that Article 370 was abrogated to wipe out “terrorism” in the region and it has claimed that its policies have improved the security of the region.
However, armed attacks have continued in the region, causing deaths among civilians, security forces and rebels. Since 2021, attacks against Indian soldiers in districts like Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region have increased.
Ajai Sahni, the executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi told Al Jazeera in December 2023 that most of the recent killings of security forces took place in army-initiated operations. “I don’t believe that normalcy has returned after Article 370 abrogation,” said Sahni.
The South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) reported that the incidence of killing in the Indian-administered Kashmir went from 135 in 2019 to 140 in 2020 and further rose to 153 in 2021. While the number of incidents dropped to 72 in 2023, 33 security forces were killed in the year compared with 30 in 2022, where 151 incidents took place.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
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