NEW DELHI, Aug 5, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The Indian government on Monday rushed
through a presidential decree to scrap a special status for disputed Kashmir,
hours after imposing a major security clampdown in the region.
Home Minister Amit Shah told parliament that the president had signed a
decree abolishing Article 370 of the constitution giving special autonomy to
the Muslim-majority Himalayan region.
The decree said the measure came into force “at once”.
Kashmir has been divided between Indian and Pakistan since their
independence in 1947. The Indian-administered part of the territory has been
in the grip of an insurgency for three decades that has left tens of
thousands dead.