Once hailed as the most successful liberal democratic experiment in the developing world, India is now facing global rebuke after stripping away Kashmir’s special status.

The sudden move came on August 6 when India’s parliament abrogated Articles 370 and 35A taking away the region’s special status. Under these articles, Kashmiris were given partial autonomy and barred non-residents from buying property in the region.

Shortly before and immediately after changing Kashmir’s status, India despatched thousands of troops to the valley. Already, around half a million Indian Army soldiers are stationed in the region.

The revocation promptly followed division of geography – carving the region into, internet shutdown, arrests of political leaders and rounding up of teenage boys. The extra troops helped quell any resistance.

India argued the move was necessary to contain separatism movement and develop the region. But the deployment of extra troops told a different story. Despite total communication blackout, reports of late-night raids, curbs on movement, rape and torture were sporadically reported in the international media.

In October, US House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Human Rights in South Asia-Panel II, Ami Bera called upon the world’s largest democracy to “allow journalists back in [Jammu and Kashmir] to have accurate reporting to see what’s going in the ground.” In the same hearing, University of Westminster Professor Ms. Natasha Kaul lambasted India’s BJP leadership over its fascist outlook towards the region.

Highlighting deaths of protestors in the Jammu and Kashmir valley, Kaul called upon India to acknowledge the atrocities committed against thousands of non-violent protestors.

She said: “The question here is not so much about the Article 370. The fundamental question is here about the consent of the people.”

“If something is being carried out for [Kashmiri] peoples’ welfare or development, then why does it need tens and thousands of troops … why does it have to happen overnight without consulting the people [locals] while placing even the pro-India politicians in prison and then depriving the population the right to say anything.”

She said India’s actions in the valley are egregious human rights violations and against the consent of the people and fundamental principles of dissent in a democracy.

The issue was also raised behind a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council in December 2019.

In a note to the Security Council members, China’s UN Mission said “in view of the seriousness of the situation and the risk of further escalation, China would like to request a briefing of the Council … on the situation of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Although the contents of the meeting were not released, Pakistan’s PM office said “the participants condemned India’s inhuman lockdown of eight million Kashmiris for over 165 days, the egregious human rights violations of Kashmiris by over 900,000 Indian occupation forces.”

India during the meeting claimed the Kashmir issue was an “internal matter” and will be resolved bilaterally between Islamabad and New Delhi.

US Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders also criticized India over its treatment of Kashmiris. “I am deeply concerned about this situation in Kashmir where the Indian government has revoked Kashmiri autonomy, cracked on dissent and instituted a communications blackout. The crackdown in the name of ‘security’ is also denying the Kashmiri people access to medical care,” Sanders said.

He added that “even many respected doctors in India have acknowledged that the Indian government-imposed restrictions on travel are threatening the life-saving care that patients need.”

In England, Jeremy Corbyn tweeted “The situation in Kashmir is deeply disturbing. Human rights abuses taking place are unacceptable. The rights of the Kashmiri people must be respected and UN resolutions implemented.”

The situation in Kashmir is deeply disturbing. Human rights abuses taking place are unacceptable. The rights of the Kashmiri people must be respected and UN resolutions implemented.

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) August 11, 2019

India has gone on offense against these leaders. They have called out these global leaders for what they see as interference in their domestic issues.

Malaysia has suffered the worse of India’s bullying tactics after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad criticized PM Modi’s Kashmir policy.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Mahathir said India has “invaded and occupied” Jammu and Kashmir despite UN resolutions.

“There may be reasons for this action but it is still wrong. The problem must be solved by peaceful means…Ignoring the UN would lead to other forms of disregard for the UN and the Rule of Law,” said Mahathir.

India responded with threats to cut off trade ties with Kuala Lumpur. It announced it will stop importing oil from Malaysia – the world’s second-largest palm oil exporter.

The blatant violations of human rights, and bullying global leaders for their criticism against its policies, India is slowly but surely losing its global goodwill. Under Modi, India has received harsh criticism for some of anti-Muslim policies be it the treatment of Muslims in Kashmir or the Citizen Amendment Act that seeks to disfranchise immigrant from the country.

L'articolo India’s Goodwill Erodes as Global Leaders Highlight Kashmir Issue proviene da InsideOver.

The Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party, which is widely acknowledged as a Hindu party, has carved a niche for itself in the Muslim dominated Middle East. The effect of this can be seen as Pakistan, which was once a favored nation of the Muslim countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, and Iraq, is now being cold-shouldered by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) nations over Kashmir and other issues. If we take into account the attitude of Muslim countries of the Middle East on Kashmir, it can be easily summarized that the Narendra Modi government’s “Look West” policy, i.e., cultivating relationships with three main axes: the Arab Gulf countries, Israel, and Iran has paid rich dividends. Moreover, it has emboldened the Narendra Modi government to abrogate Article 370 in Kashmir.  It may be recalled that Kashmir was formally incorporated into the Indian Union in 1957, with a special status under Article 370 of India’s constitution.  Except for foreign affairs, defense, finance, and communications, the Indian government needs the approval of the state government for application of other laws in Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370, ensured that non-Kashmiri Indians could not buy property there, work there, or vote in the state elections along with other conditions.

With the abrogation of Article 370 by the Narendra Modi the people of Jammu and Kashmir lost their unique identity and now they are just like any other Indian.  Now non-Kashmiri Indians can buy property there work there and become a part of Jammu Kashmir.

Pakistan, a prominent member state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation which used to raise issues about Kashmir at OIC meetings, has been cold-shouldered by the OIC nations due to India’s relations with prominent members of OIC nations and the growing influence of India in the global trade. While the UAE termed it as a bipartite issue between Indian and Pakistan, others kept quiet.

Before the advent of Narendra Modi in the Indian political scenario, India’s relations with the Arab world, which has historically favored Pakistan, were at stake. A shrewd politician Narendra Modi realized that apart from oil and gas, the Middle Eastern nations have much to offer. By pursuing a proactive “Look West” policy, he has as much to gain personally and electorally as India has to gain from energy and economic partnerships. One can cite a host of Indian interests – checkmating Pakistan, energy needs, an influential diaspora in the region, bilateral trade, etc. – to explain the Modi administration’s ‘Look West’ policy. In India, where Hindu-Muslim tensions run high, Modi’s “Look West” policy has electoral dividends as well.

Keeping in view the windfall gains of the ‘Look West’ policy, Narendra Modi visited Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Oman, and the UAE, seven out of the 13 countries once considered “hostile” by past BJP ideologues. Beyond this, he made official visits to Iran and Israel as well. It is unparalleled for an Indian prime minister to visit so many countries in the Middle East; an Indian premier had not visited some of these countries in more than three decades. To add to this, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed the inaugural session of this year’s OIC as a “Guest of Honor”, which speaks volumes of Modi’s acceptability in the Middle East. It was a major disappointment for Pakistan, who threatened to boycott the summit.

India’s bonhomie with the Middle-East and Pakistan

The highest civilian awards conferred upon Modi, from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Palestine, are suggestive of Modi’s broader recognition in the Islamic world. A notable achievement of Modi’s rapport has been getting the UAE government’s permission for a traditional Hindu temple and a generous donation of land by the rulers. This ornamentally hand-carved stone temple is an exception and first of its kind in Abu Dhabi, an Islamic country, which outlaws public propagation of other faiths.

Over the years, Modi’s rapport with the Gulf monarchs has far outperformed expectations – and so has his proactive “Look West” policy aimed at boosting ties to the Middle East.

India’s bonhomie with Iran contains both national security and an economic dimension. Iran is not only a key energy supplier but also a media to contain India’s chief rival, Pakistan. For both Iran and India, the path to constraining Pakistan lies through Afghanistan, which has become a base for militant groups whose threats exceed the country’s borders.

Modi’s ‘Look West’ policy has proved to be an ideal win-win situation politically and economically for all the parties. The Middle Eastern states stand to gain equally from India’s oil imports, labor, and bilateral trade. According to political observers, the growing friendship between the Narendra Modi Government and monarchies of the Middle East provided an opportunity to the Modi-led government to go for the kill in the Muslim dominated state of Jammu and Kashmir. Thereby, the government took the bold decision of abrogating Article 370 in Kashmir.

L'articolo Success of India’s “Look West” Policy Brings Change For Kashmir proviene da InsideOver.