Indian authorities have decided to ease restrictions in Indian occupied Kashmir ahead of the Eidul Azha by making ATMs functional and opening bank branches. People have been allowed to withdraw money, according to a Tweet by development commissioner Shahid Choudhry. However, there has been no confirmation elsewhere of the leniency in curfew and no reports of people heading to shopping areas for Eid.
The United Nations Human Rights spokesperson has expressed “great concern” over the information blackout in occupied Kashmir after India’s decision to repeal its special status. In a statement shared via a video on Twitter, the spokesperson said that what had already been observed to be a pattern, was taken to a “new level” with the latest restrictions placed by India.
Senior US diplomat Alice Wells has rubbished news claiming Washington was well aware of New Delhi’s move to strip Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) of its special status. In a Tweet, Wells clarified that ‘India did not consult or inform’ US government. Sources inside Indian government had told ThePrint that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had apprised Mike Pompeo of India’s plan.
Bollywood actor Anupam Kher in a Tweet last night referred to the situation in Kashmir as ‘Kashmir Solution’, often alluded as the Nazi plan for the genocide of Jews. Kher wrote, “Kashmir solution has begun,” and in common usage, “final solution” usually refers to Final Solution to the Jewish Question, which was the official code name for the policy.
Ruling party in India repeals Article 370 of constitution, stripping Kashmiris of special autonomy they had for seven decades through a rushed presidential order. People from rest of India will now have right to acquire property in occupied Kashmir. Article 370 had also limited power of Indian parliament to impose laws in state, apart from matters of defence, foreign affairs and communications.
After Indian government’s plot to strengthen its hold in occupied Kashmir, the Foreign Office (FO) strongly condemned the move and stated that “Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps”. The statement reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the Kashmiri cause and rejected the move by the Indian government, stressing that IoK was internationally recognised as a disputed territory.
India’s ruling party’s Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday introduced a measure in parliament to revoke the special constitutional status of occupied Kashmir. The move by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to revoke special constitutional status, which allows only residents to buy property and hold state government jobs, is the most far-reaching move on the disputed Himalayan region in nearly seven decades.
Indian government imposed curfew like conditions in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK), and placed under house arrest the former chief ministers of IoK Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. Internet services on the cellphones were also suspended, in order to prevent any possible anti-India demonstrations from being organised. All educational institutions have been closed in the restive region and public movement has been banned.
Panic grips all over Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK) as Indian government has asked tourists and Hindu pilgrims to leave immediately. Additional deployment of 25000 troops and call to stockpile food and fuel has sparked fears in occupied Kashmir that New Delhi is planning to scrap an Indian constitutional provision that disallows Indians to buy land in the Muslim-majority region.
US President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate on Kashmir issue has been rejected by India. India has conveyed to the United States (US) that Kashmir remained a bilateral issue between Islamabad and New Delhi and mediation on the topic was neither welcome nor warranted. This is the second time New Delhi has rejected an offer of mediation by Washington.