Narendra Modi to visit Kashmir for first time since revoking special status
Narendra Modi is set to make his first visit to the Kashmir valley since the revocation of its semi-autonomous status in 2019. The Indian Prime Minister will hold a rally in the main city of Indian-administered Kashmir, marking a significant event in the region's history.
In 2019, Modi's government abolished the special constitutional status of the Muslim-majority territory, dividing the former state into two territories – Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir – both directly governed from New Delhi. This move also resulted in the removal of inherited protections on land and jobs for Indigenous residents.
While the decision received widespread support within India, it stirred discontent in the densely militarized region. The Himalayan region has witnessed a rebellion since 1989, with insurgents seeking either independence or integration with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in its entirety.
As Modi prepares to address a public gathering in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-administered Kashmir, thousands of armed police and paramilitary forces in flak jackets have been deployed. New checkpoints have been established, and security measures intensified. The heightened security includes the installation of razor wire, checkpoints along roads leading to the venue, and random frisking of residents. Navy commandos in motorboats are patrolling the Jhelum river that flows through the city.
Narendra Modi's visit is not only significant for its political implications but also includes the inauguration of infrastructure around the revered Muslim shrine of Hazratbal, as mentioned in a government statement.
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