Kashmir

On August 5, “India… revoked the special status of Kashmir, the Himalayan region that has long been a flashpoint in ties with neighboring Pakistan, moving to grasp its only Muslim-majority region more tightly.” (Reuters)

The left is critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for Hindu nationalism and worries about the rights of Kashmiris.

“Since [Modi’s] 2014 election to the premiership, bigotry has been ennobled as a healthy form of self-assertion. Lynchings of Muslims — breathlessly demonized as jihadists devoted to seducing and converting Hindu women — by aggrieved Hindu mobs have become such a common sport that dozens of videos of grisly murders circulate on WhatsApp groups run by Hindu nationalists. Last summer, a minister in Modi’s cabinet garlanded eight men who had been convicted of lynching a Muslim man. In this universe, Kashmir could never remain autonomous… Kashmir is both a warning and a template: Any state that deviates from this vision can be brought under Delhi’s thumb in the name of ‘unity.’” (Kapil Komireddi, Washington Post)

The right sees the move as a predictable consequence of Pakistan’s support for Islamists.

“Historically, Pakistan has used Jammu and Kashmir is a means to end – a strategic pain point where Islamabad can ratchet pressure up or down when it wants to get Delhi’s attention… Modi’s latest move shows that little has changed. And while unexpected, it was not entirely unpredictable. The manifesto of the BJP, Modi’s ruling party, has long called for this. And Pakistan has already done something similar with the portion of Kashmir it administers… So, what role is there for the U.S.? Not much. Indians will consider this an internal matter and resent any outside attempt at intervention or coercion. India has always rejected outside mediation in Kashmir, and the U.S. government considers the Kashmir dispute a bilateral issue to be resolved between India and Pakistan.” (James Jay Carafano, Fox News)