THE Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan has been the primary source of continuing tensions and is widely recognized as one of the longest-running and most violent disputes in the world. It remains one of the hotspots of the South Asian region. The dispute came to a worse situation when Narendra Modi revoked the special status of Indian-occupied Kashmir on August 5, 2019, by scrapping Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution without the consultation of Kashmiri representatives. Modi’s abrogation changed the constitutional fabric of Kashmir’s position and allowed non-residents to permanently settle, buy property and hold government jobs in the region, effectively ending state-level domicile protections.

The region lost its statehood and was integrated into the Union Territories, placing it under the direct control of New Delhi. Moreover, the region was stripped of its right to have its own separate constitution, flag and penal code. In this regard, the Indian government has ignored the ground realities that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute and has remained on the agenda of the UN Security Council for over eight decades. The Modi regime’s selective actions are probably a reflection of its vision of the Hindutva philosophy,........

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