The protests mark the sixth anniversary of the revocation of Kashmir’s semiautonomous status at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan are high.
Hundreds of people have marched in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to mark the sixth anniversary of India’s revocation of the disputed region’s semiautonomous status after confrontations between the two nations in May raised fears of a potential nuclear conflict.
The protesters on Tuesday demanded the restoration of statehood for the India-administered side of the Himalayan region, which has been split between the two nations and claimed by both in its entirety.
Article 370 of India’s Constitution granting its state of Kashmir and Jammu semiautonomous status was revoked on August 5, 2019, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. The status had guaranteed special rights to the Muslim-majority state, including its own constitution and autonomy to make laws on all matters except defence, communications and foreign affairs.
In the lead-up to the move, India sent thousands of additional soldiers to the disputed region, imposed a crippling curfew, shut down telecommunications and arrested political leaders. Since then, numerous journalists and activists have been arrested under “anti-terrorism” laws, local communities have suffered from an influx of new residents and attacks are on the rise.
