Kashmir’s Constitutional Protections Are Gone. What Does That Mean for the Rest of South Asia?

By Ashish Valentine
A protester covers his face as he sits on a rock during an anti-India protest in Srinagar, India, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. The predominantly Muslim area has been under an unprecedented security lockdown and near-total communications blackout to prevent unrest and protests after India’s Hindu nationalist-led government said Monday it was revoking Kashmir’s special constitutional status and downgrading its statehood.
A protester covers his face as he sits on a rock during an anti-India protest in Srinagar, India, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. The predominantly Muslim area has been under an unprecedented security lockdown and near-total communications blackout to prevent unrest and protests after India's Hindu nationalist-led government said Monday it was revoking Kashmir’s special constitutional status and downgrading its statehood. Altaf Qadri / AP Photo
A protester covers his face as he sits on a rock during an anti-India protest in Srinagar, India, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. The predominantly Muslim area has been under an unprecedented security lockdown and near-total communications blackout to prevent unrest and protests after India’s Hindu nationalist-led government said Monday it was revoking Kashmir’s special constitutional status and downgrading its statehood.
A protester covers his face as he sits on a rock during an anti-India protest in Srinagar, India, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. The predominantly Muslim area has been under an unprecedented security lockdown and near-total communications blackout to prevent unrest and protests after India's Hindu nationalist-led government said Monday it was revoking Kashmir’s special constitutional status and downgrading its statehood. Altaf Qadri / AP Photo

Kashmir’s Constitutional Protections Are Gone. What Does That Mean for the Rest of South Asia?

By Ashish Valentine
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On Monday, India’s government moved to strike down articles 370 and 35A of its Constitution, which guaranteed the state of Jammu and Kashmir autonomy over its own set of laws and the right to determine who could own land in the state. Several Indian constitutional lawyers and legal experts have argued that the decision is a violation of constitutional principle, because the state assembly of Jammu and Kashmir needed to be consulted on constitutional changes that would affect it. Pakistan has suspended key trade and diplomatic ties with India in response to its actions on Kashmir, and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s office announced it intends to file a formal protest with the U.N. Security Council. Joining us to discuss what India’s actions in Kashmir could imply for the future of South Asia as a whole is Sumit Ganguly, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Rabindranath Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University, Bloomington.