The legislative assembly of Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) passed a resolution on Wednesday calling on New Delhi to restore the region’s partial autonomy, which was revoked in 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.
In 2019, New Delhi’s abrupt decision to strip IoK of its special status was accompanied by mass arrests and a prolonged communications blackout. Since then, the region has been governed by a New Delhi-appointed governor.
However, last month, the territory elected a new local legislative assembly, with voters selecting a government opposed to Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The resolution, passed by a majority vote, urges the Government of India to initiate talks with Jammu and Kashmir’s elected representatives for the restoration of its special status. The 29 BJP members in the 90-seat assembly opposed the non-binding resolution, which still requires approval from the federally-appointed governor.
“The assembly has fulfilled its duties,” stated Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The resolution reaffirmed the importance of the special constitutional guarantees that protected the identity, culture, and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the partition of British India in 1947, with both countries claiming the territory in full. Around 500,000 Indian troops are stationed in the region, engaged in a 35-year separatist conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including dozens this year.
The 2019 constitutional amendment downgraded IoK from a federal state to a “union territory,” imposing direct rule. Modi has promised to restore its status, though without specifying a timeline.
