Kashmir: Modi to visit Srinagar for first time since revoking special status

Indian paramilitary personnel deployed at Srinagar on 6 MarchGetty Images

Since reversing the state’s semi-autonomous status in 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making his first trip to the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley.

Just before the announcement of India’s public poll times, Mr. Modi did speak at a rally in Srinagar.

In the midst of heavy security, his Bharatiya Janata Party is rumored to mobilise thousands of people to enter the gathering.

Tens of thousands of lives have been lost in an armed rebellion against Indian rule in the contested country since the 1980s.

After India and Pakistan’s independence from Britain in 1947, Kashmir was divided. The two nuclear-armed nations claim the entire area and have waged two war there over it in the generations that have followed.

A poll assurance, and Mr. Modi’s government made the decision shortly after winning re-election in 2019 to repeal a section of the Indian Constitution that gave Indian-administrated Kashmir unique position. The state of Jammu and Kashmir had considerable freedom under Article 370, including the proper to have its own flag, government, constitution, and regulations.

It was the only state in India with a Muslim lot. Its 12 million individuals were divided into Jammu and Kashmir, two officially governed lands, and Ladakh, a distant, mountainous region, after Article 370 was removed.

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, speaks during the Global Business Summit in New Delhi, India, on 9 February 2024

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Some of Mr. Modi’s supporters supported the proceed, which shocked locals and upended ordinary life in the area. In the previous condition, schools and colleges were closed, travellers were ordered to leave, telephone and internet providers were suspended, and local political rulers were placed under house arrest or moved to jails in different parts of India.

According to experts, Mr. Modi’s attend on Thursday may set the tone for the BJP’s battle there for the upcoming general election.

According to reports quoting BJP leaders, the prime minister could make announcements about development projects, as he did in February when he visited Jammu, which has a predominantly Hindu community.

According to researchers, Mr. Modi will want to convey the message that, despite violent situations and high unemployment, things are back to normal in the area. His administration is eager to discuss assignments for hundreds of millions of dollars that it claims are part of a strategy to integrate Kashmir’s business with the rest of India.

Outsiders were unable to purchase property until Jammu and Kashmir’s special reputation was removed, preventing them from doing business there. Some residents claim they have yet to realize the benefits of these initiatives. Although one or two were willing to wait and see what the PM said, the majority of those the BBC spoke to before the visit were important.

One Srinagar employee claimed that the removal of Article 370 had been a “great inequity” and that he would not attend the PM’s march. When did he mention the crimes committed against Muslims throughout the nation?

Another individual said,” Power rates are skyrocketing. Yet so little effort is required to obtain corn. The rate of inflation is rising rapidly. Why would we have to come hear such a government’s statement?

In Jammu in February, Mr. Modi claimed that Article 370 had been a blockade to growth. In December, the Supreme Court of India upheld the abdication of Article 370, but the government claimed it had promised to restore Jammu-Kashmir’s independence and should do but as soon as possible.

Map of Kashmir

Mr. Modi may travel to the army’s office in Srinagar before his speech. Security personnel are accused of many human rights violations and other excesses over the course of decades because of the presence of Indian forces.

Due to Mr. Modi’s visit, the pavements of Srinagar were cleaned and billboards erected to welcome him. Thousands of federal officials reportedly requested to assist with the running of the celebration at the address.

Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of Kashmir, claimed that “almost nothing” of those present did exercise their free will. This membership is required, not recommended. He claimed in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that employees who do n’t show up are threatened with disciplinary action.

Numerous security personnel have been stationed at the Bakshi stadium where Mr. Modi may deliver his address. People are being harmed and lorries being checked in and out of Srinagar.

One of the many events that Mr. Modi may enroll before the general election ballot dates are announced is Thursday’s visit. He inaugurated an underground rail road tunnel on Wednesday in Kolkata in West Bengal, India.

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