Kashmir crisis: Tension soars as India sends in 10,000 troops

INDIA sent 10,000 troops to block roads and cut television and phone links yesterday as it stripped part of the disputed Kashmir region of its ‘special status’.

The Hindu nationalist government revoked parts of the constitution which gave the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir a level of autonomy over its laws and policies.

It was a move that provoked uproar, including in Pakistan which has shared the wider Kashmir region since 1947. India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons.

The ‘special status’ laws also forbade Indians outside the state from permanently settling to protect the Muslimmajority living there. However, many Kashmiris fear the government wants to allow non-Kashmiris, mostly Hindus, to buy land locally. Prime minister Narendra Modi vowed to scrap the laws as part of his re-election campaign this year.

Indian soldiers moved into Srinagar, the state’s main city, to seal off streets and enforce an order banning people congregating. Communication lines were cut, leaving millions without TV channels, internet and phone signal.

Home minister Amit Shah tried to allay fears of violence erupting, telling parliament: ‘Kashmir was a paradise, is a paradise and will remain a paradise.’

But Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said: ‘India is playing a dangerous game which will have serious consequences for regional peace and stability.’ The ministry said India cannot change the status of Kashmir, under UN security council resolutions.

For three decades, Indian-controlled Kashmir has faced rebels fighting for independence or to join Pakistan. Most Kashmiris support the demand. About 70,000 people have died in the conflict.