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The lower house passed Tuesday night the law that consecrated the end of Kashmir autonomy and the creation of a new region administered directly by New Delhi. This major reform was adopted in just two days and without consulting the Kashmiris. And the process used is considered illegal by the opposition and politicians of Kashmir. This undermines the hard-won trust between New Delhi and this separatist region.
With our correspondent in New Delhi, Sébastien Farcis
The government repealed Kashmir's autonomy by presidential decree , a very controversial method. Because according to the law, this status, granted to the region in 1947 can be revoked only with the agreement of the Kashmir Assembly. But as the regional parliament has recently been dissolved, New Delhi considers that it can decide the fate of the Kashmiris unilaterally. This brutal method should undermine Kashmiris' lack of confidence in New Delhi, as Omair Ahmad, a researcher on Indian Islam, explains.
" The government has sent a message to the Kashmiris : I am ready to violate the law and the Constitution. And whatever you think about it, we will not let you express yourself. This is an extremely painful message. This destroys all the dialogue work carried out for decades by the moderates. And offers perfect propaganda for the extremists who will say : Look, you will never be considered ordinary citizens. Respect for your rights will depend on the goodwill of New Delhi. "
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About 40,000 civilians and military have died in 30 years of separatist insurgency in Kashmir. Recently, local armed groups have established closer ties with international organizations such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
■ The local elite beheaded
In Kashmir, key local leaders were arrested on Monday. One of them managed to talk to the media and expresses his anger.
It is one of the pillars of Kashmir policy. Farooq Abdullah, 80, was several times head of regional government and then federal minister. He is therefore one of the moderates who accept the sovereignty of India over Kashmir. Despite this, New Delhi placed him in detention as early as Monday morning, certainly to prevent him from expressing himself on this controversial reform. Tuesday noon, he managed to break a door to go out on the balcony and talk to the media, furious and emotional.
" This is totally undemocratic. We are not stone throwers or grenade launchers. We believe in the peaceful resolution of things. But they want to murder us. So, go ahead, here is my chest. Shoot here, but not in my back. Because I fought for this nation. "
All the great figures of Kashmir politics have suffered the same fate. A sign that the Hindu nationalists in power want to bend any dissent . And that the government is ready to do anything to force the Kashmiris to accept the sovereignty of India over this disputed region.
Diplomatically, it allows Pakistan to maintain the fact that Indians have an uncompromising position ...
Gilles Boquérat, Foundation for Strategic Research: What benefit for Pakistan? 06/08/2019 - by Vincent Souriau Play
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