'Darkest day': Uproar as India strips Kashmir of special status - Aljazeera.com

The Indian government's decision to abolish a special status for India-administered Kashmir has been widely criticised and opposed, as tensions prevail over the constitutional autonomy of the disputed region. 

Monday's announcement sparked chaotic scenes in parliament, with opposition politicians condemning the presidential decree revoking Article 370 of the constitution that gives the state of Jammu and Kashmir a substantial degree of autonomy.

The government led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also moved a bill proposing the Jammu and Kashmir state be divided into two "union territories" directly ruled by New Delhi.

The main opposition Congress party described the decision as a "catastrophic step".

"Shameful that you have turned Jammu and Kashmir into a non-entity," said Ghulam Nabi Azad, a Congress parliamentarian who comes from India-administered Kashmir.

One legislator from Kashmir-based Peoples Democratic Party tore up a copy of the Indian constitution before being reportedly removed from the chambers by parliamentary marshals.

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Article 370 of the constitution forbid Indians outside the state from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs and securing education scholarships.

The decree, which was issued hours after imposing a major security clampdown in the disputed region, said the measure came into force "at once".

'Total betrayal of trust'

Political leaders in India-administered Kashmir, including former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah who have been placed under house arrest, also criticised the decision.

"The Indian government's unilateral and shocking decisions today are a total betrayal of trust that the people of Jammu and Kashmir had reposed in India when the state acceded to it in 1947," Abdullah said in a statement.

The decree, which he called an "aggression", will have "far-reaching and dangerous consequences," said Abdullah. "A long and tough battle lies ahead. We are ready for that."

Mufti tweeted that the latest move was the "darkest day in Indian democracy".

"Unilateral decision of GOI [government of India] to scrap Article 370 is illegal and unconstitutional which will make India an occupational force in J&K [Jammu and Kashmir]," she posted.

Today the people of Jammu & Kashmir who reposed their faith in institutions of India like parliament & Supreme Court feel defeated & betrayed. By dismembering the state & fraudulently taking away what is rightfully & legally ours, they have further complicated the Kashmir dispute

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 5, 2019

However, BJP politicians and right-wing allies welcomed the decision and congratulated Modi, who had proposed to abrogate Article 370 in his election campaign.

This is a moment of pride as the NDA. Big congratulations to @PMOIndia @narendramodi ji, Home Minister @AmitShah ji, the Parliament & the Citizens of India. This is exactly why we supported the NDA in Lok Sabha 2019 led by Modi ji. Decision for India and the State of J&K.

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) August 5, 2019

Protests in Pakistan

The announcement came amid heightened tensions along the Line of Control - the highly militarised defacto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

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On Sunday, parts of India-administered Kashmir were placed under lockdown, with some internet and phone services cut off. 

Pakistan, which has fought two of its three wars against India over the disputed territory, strongly condemned India's move and vowed to "exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps". 

"No unilateral step by the Government of India can change this disputed status, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council [UNSC] resolutions. Nor will this ever be acceptable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, hundreds of Kashmiri activists staged a demonstration near the Indian embassy in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Monday, holding placards and chanting slogans.

Similar rallies were also staged in other cities, including Hyderabad and Karachi. 

"This revocation of these two articles means any Indian citizen will be able to grab land in occupied Kashmir, he can be a citizen of Kashmir," Nabi Baig, a refugee from Kashmir, told the Associated Press news agency.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-08-05 12:26:00Z
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19 killed in blast and fire after Cairo traffic collision - CNN

A car driving against traffic collided with three cars on Sunday night on Nile Corniche street in the capital Cairo and triggered an explosion and a fire, Egypt's Interior Ministry said in a statement on Facebook.

Those injured in the explosion were taken to hospitals and legal action will be taken in the case, the ministry said.

At least three victims were in critical condition, the Health Ministry said, and 54 patients at the institute were evacuated to other hospitals because of the fire, according to Al-Ahram news.

Images showed smoke billowing as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze at the scene of the accident on Sunday night.

Egyptian Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah offered his condolences to the families of victims and those that were injured.

"My full support and condolence to families of the victims and those injured in the explosion of the Oncology Institute," the celebrated player wrote on Twitter.

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2019-08-05 10:58:00Z
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India Moves to Revoke Kashmir’s Special Status Amid Crackdown - The New York Times

SRINAGAR, Kashmir — The Indian government said on Monday that it was removing the special status that has existed for decades in Kashmir, a disputed mountainous region along the India-Pakistan border.

Amit Shah, the home minister, made the announcement revoking Article 370 of the Constitution in the upper house of Parliament on Monday morning, as opposition lawmakers exploded in an uproar.

In anticipation of the announcement, which many analysts predicted could set off rioting and unrest, India had flooded Kashmir with thousands of extra troops. The Indian authorities also evacuated tourists, closed schools and cut off internet service.

For many years, Kashmir has been governed differently than other parts of India, and the government’s decision is widely seen as a blow to Kashmir’s autonomy. India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party, known as the B.J.P., has deep roots in a Hindu nationalist ideology and one of its campaign promises during the election this year had been removing the special status of Kashmir, which is predominantly Muslim.

“Today the B.J.P. has murdered the Constitution of India,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, an opposition party.

The Indian government also announced that it would support a parliamentary bill to split the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which includes the Kashmir Valley, into two federal territories — Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a state legislature, and Ladakh, a remote, high-altitude territory, which will be without a legislature.

Mr. Shah said the government had the legal authority to end Kashmir’s special status. Some analysts said that was not so clear and that the issue would most likely end up before India’s Supreme Court.

A sense of panic has spread across Kashmir as millions of residents woke up Monday to deserted streets. Relatives of Kashmiris who could be reached by phone said that many people were fearful about stepping outside and were waiting in their homes for news about what was going to happen next.

Many Kashmiris had feared that the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would either remove their region’s special status or turn Kashmir into a federally ruled territory.

Image

Barricades being set up by the Indian police in Jammu, Kashmir, on Monday. A sense of panic has spread across Kashmir as millions of residents woke up Monday to deserted streets.CreditChanni Anand/Associated Press

Separatist groups, including some that are armed and maintain links to neighboring Pakistan, have been chafing for independence from India for years. Analysts say that any steps that reduce Kashmir’s autonomy could demoralize the Kashmir public further and provoke an outburst of serious violence.

[Why India and Pakistan keep fighting over Kashmir.]

Over the last few days, the authorities in Kashmir had been issuing satellite phones to senior police officers so they could communicate in case the cellphone network was disrupted, which happened around midnight going into Monday, according to widespread news reports.

The authorities have also restricted the movements of prominent Kashmiri political leaders, including Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, according to many reports in the Indian news media.

Ms. Mufti, the most recent chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said in an interview before Mr. Shah’s announcement on Monday that Kashmiri politicians were coming together to defend against any possible moves by India to remove the special laws that grant limited autonomy to Kashmir under the Indian Constitution.

“There will be chaos if our identity is compromised,” Ms. Mufti said. “We will go to any extent to preserve that identity guaranteed under the India Constitution.”

Security officers have evacuated thousands of tourists, mostly Indians, telling them it was dangerous to be in the valley and that militant groups might be planning an attack.

Janvi Singh, an entrepreneur from Mumbai, saw her vacation suddenly cut short.

She had just arrived at her hotel in Gulmarg, a scenic mountainside town, on Friday when government officials knocked on the door of her room and told her she needed to leave immediately.

“They didn’t take no for an answer,” Ms. Singh said.

For decades, Kashmir has been plagued by turmoil. When India and Pakistan won independence from Britain in 1947, Kashmir originally opted to remain a small independent state.

But soon after independence, militants from Pakistan invaded Kashmir and Kashmir joined India for help. India and Pakistan then fought several wars over the area and today most of Kashmir is administered by India, with a smaller slice controlled by Pakistan, which like Kashmir is majority Muslim.

Tensions reached a breaking point in February, when a Kashmiri militant rammed a vehicle filled with explosives into a convoy of Indian paramilitary forces traveling on a highway, killing at least 40 soldiers. A banned terrorist group, Jaish-e-Muhammad, which is based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility.

Image

A woman and child walking past security personnel in Jammu on Monday. Analysts say that any steps that reduce Kashmir’s autonomy could provoke an outburst of serious violence.CreditRakesh Bakshi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

It was the worst attack in the region in three decades, and set off a tense military standoff between India and Pakistan that culminated in a dogfight between Indian and Pakistani warplanes. Pakistan shot down and captured an Indian pilot, who was soon handed back to India.

Over the last year, activists say, the hunt for separatists has intensified, pulling ordinary Kashmiris into the fold.

Indian Army officials said Friday that they had specific information about a planned attack by Pakistan-based militants on Hindu pilgrims and tourists.

But many Kashmiris were skeptical of those claims and wondered if there was another explanation for the sudden troop buildup in the region, already one of the most heavily militarized areas in the world.

Many residents are now panicking. People are hoarding supplies, causing shortages of medicine and baby food. Many fuel stations ran dry as thousands of people lined up through Friday and Saturday nights to fill their cars with gas.

“All the hotels in Gulmarg are empty,” said Muzamil Ahmad, director of an upscale hotel there.

Germany, one of the few Western countries that had earlier removed restrictions on travel to the region, issued a travel advisory asking its citizens to avoid the valley. Britain, Australia and Israel issued similar warnings.

Along the Line of Control, the name of the disputed border between Pakistan and India, both sides have been building up their troop levels.

On Saturday, Pakistani officials accused India of using cluster bombs along the border that killed two civilians and wounded 11 on the Pakistan side. India denied it used cluster bombs, which have been criticized across the world as being dangerous to civilians.

Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan said on Sunday that the only road to lasting peace in South Asia ran through Kashmir.

“President Trump offered to mediate on Kashmir,” Mr. Khan said on Twitter, referring to his recent meeting with President Trump in Washington. “This is the time to do so as situation deteriorates there and along the LOC with new aggressive actions being taken by Indian occupation forces. This has the potential to blow up into a regional crisis.”

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2019-08-05 08:37:30Z
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India Moves to Revoke Kashmir’s Special Status Amid Crackdown - The New York Times

SRINAGAR, Kashmir — The Indian government said on Monday that it was removing the special status that has existed for decades in Kashmir, a disputed mountainous region along the India-Pakistan border.

Amit Shah, the home minister, made the announcement in the upper house of Parliament on Monday morning, as opposition lawmakers exploded in an uproar.

In anticipation of the announcement, which many analysts predicted could set off rioting and unrest, India had flooded Kashmir with thousands of extra troops. The Indian authorities also evacuated tourists, closed schools and cut off internet service.

For many years, Kashmir has been governed differently than other parts of India, and the government’s decision is widely seen as a blow to Kashmir’s autonomy. India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party, known as the B.J.P., has deep roots in a Hindu nationalist ideology and one of its campaign promises during the election this year had been removing the special status of Kashmir, which is predominantly Muslim.

“Today the B.J.P. has murdered the Constitution of India,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, an opposition party.

The Indian government also announced that it would support a parliamentary bill to split the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which includes the Kashmir Valley, into two federal territories — Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a state legislature, and Ladakh, a remote, high-altitude territory, which will be without a legislature.

Mr. Shah said the government had the legal authority to end Kashmir’s special status. Some analysts said that was not so clear and that the issue would most likely end up before India’s Supreme Court.

Image

Barricades being set up by the Indian police in Jammu, Kashmir, on Monday. A sense of panic has spread across Kashmir as millions of residents woke up Monday to deserted streets.CreditChanni Anand/Associated Press

A sense of panic has spread across Kashmir as millions of residents woke up Monday to deserted streets. Relatives of Kashmiris who could be reached by phone said that many people were fearful about stepping outside and were waiting in their homes for news about what was going to happen next.

Many Kashmiris had feared that the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would either remove their region’s special status or turn Kashmir into a federally ruled territory.

Separatist groups, including some that are armed and maintain links to neighboring Pakistan, have been chafing for independence from India for years. Analysts say that any steps that reduce Kashmir’s autonomy could demoralize the Kashmir public further and provoke an outburst of serious violence.

[Why India and Pakistan keep fighting over Kashmir.]

Over the last few days, the authorities in Kashmir had been issuing satellite phones to senior police officers so they could communicate in case the cellphone network was disrupted, which happened around midnight going into Monday, according to widespread news reports.

The authorities have also restricted the movements of prominent Kashmiri political leaders, including Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, according to many reports in the Indian news media.

Ms. Mufti, the most recent chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said in an interview before Mr. Shah’s announcement on Monday that Kashmiri politicians were coming together to defend against any possible moves by India to remove the special laws that grant limited autonomy to Kashmir under the Indian Constitution.

“There will be chaos if our identity is compromised,” Ms. Mufti said. “We will go to any extent to preserve that identity guaranteed under the India Constitution.”

Security officers have evacuated thousands of tourists, mostly Indians, telling them it was dangerous to be in the valley and that militant groups might be planning an attack.

Janvi Singh, an entrepreneur from Mumbai, saw her vacation suddenly cut short.

She had just arrived at her hotel in Gulmarg, a scenic mountainside town, on Friday when government officials knocked on the door of her room and told her she needed to leave immediately.

Image

A woman and child walking past security personnel in Jammu on Monday. Analysts say that any steps that reduce Kashmir’s autonomy could provoke an outburst of serious violence.CreditRakesh Bakshi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

“They didn’t take no for an answer,” Ms. Singh said.

For decades, Kashmir has been plagued by turmoil. When India and Pakistan won independence from Britain in 1947, Kashmir originally opted to remain a small independent state.

But soon after independence, militants from Pakistan invaded Kashmir and Kashmir joined India for help. India and Pakistan then fought several wars over the area and today most of Kashmir is administered by India, with a smaller slice controlled by Pakistan, which like Kashmir is majority Muslim.

Tensions reached a breaking point in February, when a Kashmiri militant rammed a vehicle filled with explosives into a convoy of Indian paramilitary forces traveling on a highway, killing at least 40 soldiers. A banned terrorist group, Jaish-e-Muhammad, which is based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility.

It was the worst attack in the region in three decades, and set off a tense military standoff between India and Pakistan that culminated in a dogfight between Indian and Pakistani warplanes. Pakistan shot down and captured an Indian pilot, who was soon handed back to India.

Over the last year, activists say, the hunt for separatists has intensified, pulling ordinary Kashmiris into the fold.

Indian Army officials said Friday that they had specific information about a planned attack by Pakistan-based militants on Hindu pilgrims and tourists.

But many Kashmiris were skeptical of those claims and wondered if there was another explanation for the sudden troop buildup in the region, already one of the most heavily militarized areas in the world.

Many residents are now panicking. People are hoarding supplies, causing shortages of medicine and baby food. Many fuel stations ran dry as thousands of people lined up through Friday and Saturday nights to fill their cars with gas.

“All the hotels in Gulmarg are empty,” said Muzamil Ahmad, director of an upscale hotel there.

Germany, one of the few Western countries that had earlier removed restrictions on travel to the region, issued a travel advisory asking its citizens to avoid the valley. Britain, Australia and Israel issued similar warnings.

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2019-08-05 07:52:51Z
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India scraps special status for Kashmir amid crackdown - CNBC

Border villagers play cards as they sit near a Indian post at Chandu Chak village of Ranbir Singh Pura sector near the India-Pakistan international border, about 35km from Jammu on February 28, 2019 in Jammu, India.

Nitin Kanotra | Hindustan Times | Getty Images

India's government on Monday revoked the special status of Kashmir in a bid to fully integrate its only Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country, the most far-reaching move on the troubled Himalayan territory in nearly seven decades.

Interior Minister Amit Shah told parliament the federal government would scrap Article 370, a constitutional provision that grants special status for disputed Kashmir and allows the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws.

"The entire constitution will be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir state," Shah said, ending the state's rights to make its own laws. In a subsequent order, India's president approved the government's changes.

The step would also mean revocation of a bar on property purchases by people from outside the state. Such plans have in the past provoked warnings of a backlash in Kashmir, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan.

The law had also reserved state government jobs for residents, as well as college places, in an effort to keep the state from being overrun by people from the rest of India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party had pushed for an end to Kashmir's special constitutional status, arguing that such laws had hindered its integration with the rest of India. 

Political leaders in Kashmir had warned that repeal of the law would trigger widespread unrest.

Since last year, Kashmir has been ruled by the Indian federal government, after Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew from a coalition there with a regional party.

Monday's announcement came hours after authorities launched a clampdown in Kashmir by suspending telephone services and placing state leaders under house arrest. 

Telephone and internet services were suspended early on Monday, and state leaders wrote on Twitter that they had been put under house arrest.

On Sunday, a meeting of regional parties had vowed to safeguard the region's special status, saying any move to scrap the privilege would amount to aggression against the people of the state.

Tension had risen since Friday, when Indian officials issued an alert over possible militant attacks by Pakistan-based groups.

Pakistan has rejected those assertions, but thousands of alarmed Indian tourists, pilgrims and workers streamed out of the region over the weekend.

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2019-08-05 06:26:32Z
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Iran says it seized foreign oil tanker in Gulf for smuggling fuel - CNN

The tanker was intercepted Wednesday night by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's 2nd Marine Corps, according to Iranian news agency ISNA.

Iran's state media Press TV said the vessel had seven crew members and was carrying 700,000 liters of fuel, or about 4,500 barrels. If full, this amount would make it a relatively small tanker.

The nationalities of the ship and of the crew have not been revealed.

Ramadan Zirahi, commander of that naval unit, told ISNA that the vessel carrying the "seized smuggled fuel" was transferred to Bushehr and that the fuel was delivered to the National Oil Distribution Company of Bushehr in coordination with the judiciary.

Zirahi said the 2nd Marine Corps floating units were guarding the national interest and "will not hesitate for a moment."

Iran's seizure last month of two tankers -- one Panamanian-flagged and one British -- marked an escalation in the standoff between the Islamic Republic and Western powers after US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal last year.

Iran has released nine of the 12 Indian crew members who were on board the Panamanian-flagged tanker that it seized after claiming the vessel was carrying 1 million liters of smuggled fuel.

Iran has granted consular access to 18 Indian crew members of the seized British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero.

• Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz

• May 8, 2018
• November 5, 2018
• April 8, 2019
• June 20, 2019
  • Iran shoots down a United States military drone. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims that the drone was shot down after it entered the country's territory, while the US claims the drone was shot down in international airspace.
• June 24, 2019
• July 1, 2019
• July 4, 2019
  • The Iranian oil-carrying vessel Grace 1 is seized by British authorities near Gibralter. Gibraltar's territorial authorities had reason to believe the ship was "carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria" in violation of European Union sanctions, it said in a statement. Iran called the act "piracy."
• July 10, 2019
• July 14, 2019
• July 18, 2019
  • US officials say the US Navy has destroyed an Iranian drone using electronic jamming, in a defensive action after it came too close to naval ship USS Boxer took. However, Iranian officials deny that any of their drones have been downed.
• July 19, 2019
  • Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announces that its navy has captured the British-flagged oil tanker, Stena Impero. It accuses the British tanker of "violating international regulations."
  • A second tanker, the Liberian flagged MV Mesdar, was also seized, one US official tells CNN.

Source: CNN

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2019-08-04 15:44:00Z
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Iran seizes oil tanker carrying 'smuggled fuel' in Persian Gulf, state media reports - Fox News

Iran's Revolutionary Guard last week seized an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf that was supposedly carrying "smuggled fuel" from Iran, state media reported Sunday.

The ship was carrying 700,000 liters [185,000 gallons] of fuel, according to state TV and the semi-official Fars news agency. Seven crew members were reportedly detained during the vessel's seizure.

IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER INVITED TO WHITE HOUSE, TEHRAN DECIDED AGAINST VISIT: REPORT

The ship was seized on Wednesday near Farsi Island, where an Iranian Guard Navy base is located, the news outlet reported. The island sits in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran, north of the Strait of Hormuz.

"This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states," Gen. Ramazan Zirahi, a Guard commander, was quoted as saying.

Further information on the vessel, and the nationality of crew members, was not immediately clear.

The seizure marked the third such incident involving a commercial vessel in recent weeks — and the second accused of smuggling fuel.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, told The Associated Press it did not have information to confirm the reports. Maritime tracking experts also said they did not have any immediate information about the incident or the vessel.

On July 18, the paramilitary force seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling some 264,000 gallons of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.

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The following week, the Guard's naval forces seized a British-flagged vessel in the Gulf in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. The U.K. says the Iranian oil tanker was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria. Iran denies the ship was bound for Syria but has not disclosed its destination.

The seizure comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran amid the breakdown of the nuclear deal that led the regime to exceed the threshold of low-enriched uranium stockpile as agreed upon in the 2015 accord.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-08-04 11:48:19Z
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