ASSESSMENTS

Modi Moves to Remake Kashmir

Aug 6, 2019 | 02:43 GMT

Demonstrators hold placards while shouting slogans during a protest in Kolkata on Aug. 5 at New Delhi's move to revoke Kashmir's autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir.

Demonstrators hold placards while shouting slogans during a protest in Kolkata on Aug. 5 at New Delhi's move to revoke Kashmir's autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir. The decision could have far-reaching implications for India's relations with Pakistan and its battle against militancy.

(AVIJIT GHOSH/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Highlights

  • The BJP-led government's attempt to integrate Kashmir fits into its broader goal of solidifying the political and economic unity of India, whose regions are diverse.
  • While the Indian opposition's strategy will focus on attacking the move as undemocratic, the government will aim to rally nationalist support in the name of national security, continuing a core theme of its reelection campaign.
  • The government's deployment of 38,000 security forces is designed to preempt the expected rise in political violence and potential for a high-profile cross-border attack at a time when U.S. mediation may be unreliable and Pakistan may look to China for support.
  • At the same time, the heightened security threat to India could result in opportunistic jihadist attacks in core urban areas.
     

India's prime minister has abrogated Kashmir's autonomy with an eye to putting the state more firmly under India's grasp. That, however, could infuriate Kashmiris and the country's archrival: Pakistan. ...

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