India ends Kashmir's autonomy

New Delhi - India said it would scrap a constitutional provision that allows the state of Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws.

India on Monday revoked the special status of Kashmir and bifurcated the state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
In the most far-reaching political move in one of the world's most militarised regions in nearly seven decades, India said it would scrap a constitutional provision that allows the state of Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws.
"The entire constitution will be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir," Home Minister Amit Shah told parliament, as opposition lawmakers voiced loud protests against the repeal.
The Rajya Sabha, or upper house of parliament, passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill with a 125-61 vote.
The government also lifted a ban on property purchases by non-residents, opening the way for Indians to invest and settle there, just as they can elsewhere in India.
The measure is likely to provoke a backlash in the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party had pushed for radical political change in Kashmir even before he won re-election in May, saying its laws hindered integration with the rest of India.
Pakistan, which also claims Kashmir, said it strongly condemned the decision, which is bound to further strain ties between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said the move "was in clear violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions" in the region, according to a statement.
"As the party to this international dispute, Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps," its foreign ministry said.
Local TV channels reported that former Kashmiri chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah had been detained at a state guest house.

• India