India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed his nation as tensions rise between India and Pakistan after New Delhi revoked special status for Kashmir.
Kashmir has long been a source of major contention between India and Pakistan and they have fought two wars over the region.
For years a line of control has separated Pakistan-Administered Kashmir from Indian-Administered Kashmir. And, the de-facto border between the two nuclear-powered sides is one of the most militarized in the world.
Kashmir has enjoyed a special status under India’s constitution which gave it a large degree of autonomy. But earlier this week the Indian government announced that it was removing it. And, that has drawn a strong response from Pakistan with its Prime Minister Imran Khan denouncing the move as “illegal.”
Meanwhile, India has poured thousands of extra troops into Kashmir to try and prevent any unrest as tensions mount.
To discuss:
- Abhinav Prakash Singh, assistant professor at the University of Delhi
- Zainab Sikander, writer and political analyst
- Anwar Iqbal, Washington Correspondent at Dawn Newspaper
- Ather Zia, asst. professor of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder
For more:
Lead story now on https://t.co/Fbzw6mR9Q5:
PM Modi addressed the nation on centre's big decision on #Kashmir https://t.co/mVp1nNF4z1#NDTVLeadStory pic.twitter.com/mZMtTXv5wH
— NDTV (@ndtv) August 8, 2019
China, Pakistan slam India's move to change Kashmir's special status https://t.co/dtjb4Xzddy pic.twitter.com/21pPmjPTEQ
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) August 6, 2019