Kashmir leader’s call for restoration of special status highlights region’s lack of democracy

Kashmir leader's call for restoration of special status highlights region's lack of democracy

Kashmir’s top pro-India politician had a stark message Friday — the eve of the fourth anniversary since India revoked the disputed region’s special status, throwing the Himalayan territory into political chaos: Democracy stops where the boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir begin. In an interview with The Associated Press, Omar Abdullah said India’s 2019 decision to strip the region’s statehood, its separate constitution and inherited protections on land and jobs have pushed the territory into a “democratic void” and led to a clampdown on civil liberties. “It’s a very abnormal calm…

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