11. Kashmir: A Case for Self-Determination
- Author:
- Hafsa Kanjwal
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Brown Journal of World Affairs
- Institution:
- Brown Journal of World Affairs
- Abstract:
- On 5 August 2019, the Indian government unilaterally changed the legal status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, undermining its own constitutional process and completely annexing a territory that remains disputed in the in- ternational arena. In a statement to the Indian parliament, the Indian Home Minister announced the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status enshrined in Article 370 of the Indian constitution, as well as the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories to be directly governed by the central government. Since then, the government has placed Indian-occupied Kashmir on lockdown.1 Despite restrictions on the movement of reporters and human rights observers and a clampdown on communication infrastructure (including the internet and some phone services), there have been reports of widespread human rights abuses including extrajudicial detentions (including of minors), torture, sexual violence, and lack of access to basic medical and healthcare services.2 The BJP-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has justified its actions by claiming that Kashmir’s development and progress was stunted under Article 370, a provision in the Indian constitution that gave the state some autonomy. Moreover, the government asserted that the region needed to be fully integrated into the Indian state in order to prosper. It also argued that this move would curb what it deems “terrorism,” a long-standing movement for political self-determination in Kashmir.3
- Topic:
- Human Rights, Territorial Disputes, Conflict, and Self-Determination
- Political Geography:
- South Asia, India, Kashmir, and Jammu and Kashmir