India scraps special status for Jammu and Kashmir

Monday, 5 August 2019 14:38

The Indian government has revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

It has decided to scrap Article 370, which is a constitutional provision that grants autonomy to the state, including the right to make its own laws.

Home Minister Amit Shah announced the move in parliament amid massive protests from the opposition.

He also said the state would be split into two federal territories - Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The changes were announced hours after a major security crackdown in the region.

Telephone and internet services have been suspended, while some regional political leaders have been put under house arrest.

Pakistan has condemned the move and said it would “exercise all possible options” to counter it.

More from International News

Britain working with allies to support shipping through Strait of Hormuz

Britain is working with allies on a range of options to support commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in the face of Iranian threats, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson said on Tuesday as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran roils oil prices.
Five Iranian women's soccer players granted humanitarian visas in Australia

Australia on Tuesday granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women soccer players after they sought asylum, fearing persecution on their return home for their refusal to sing the national anthem at an Asia Cup match.
Almost 700,000 displaced after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, UN agencies say

The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon has deepened amid the wider Middle East war, with 84 children killed and more than 667,000 people displaced, two UN agencies said on Tuesday.
Iran fighting back but not stronger than U.S. thought, top U.S. general says

Iran is fighting back but is not tougher than the U.S. military expected before the war, the top U.S. general told reporters on Tuesday, as the Pentagon promised its most intense day of strikes in the 10-day-old conflict.