The Indian government on Monday abolished autonomy in Kashmir for seven decades, prompting an angry response from its arch-rival Pakistan and raising fears of increased violence in the Muslim-majority region.
Prime Minister Narendra Mody´s nationalist party has pushed ahead with a presidential decree abolishing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, which was guaranteed by the Indian constitution.
The party also submitted a bill providing for the partition of Indian Kashmir into two areas directly under New Delhi´s authority.
Prior to the announcement, India deployed military reinforcements from tens of thousands of troops in the region, and imposed a tight security on Sunday night and cut off all communications.
In front of parliament, Interior Minister Amit Shah, who is close to Modi, announced that the president had issued a decree repealing Article 370 of the constitution, which gives the region autonomy.
According to the decree, the procedure "immediately" enters into force.
Pakistan´s Foreign Ministry condemned the Indian move as "illegal."
"Pakistan is part of this international conflict and will use all available options to address illegal measures," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
A senior Pakistani security source said he had been invited to a meeting of senior Pakistani military commanders to be held on Tuesday.
Kashmir has been divided into Indian and Pakistani since the two countries gained independence in 1947.
Indian Kashmir has been plagued by a separatist insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of people.
Kashmiri rebels and many of the region´s residents are fighting for their region´s independence or annexation to Pakistan.
The camp of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who was re-elected in May for a second term, has vowed to abolish the special status of Kashmir.
Many fear that New Delhi is seeking to bring about demographic change in the region by allowing non-Kashmiris, particularly Hindus, to buy land in the region.
The move would exacerbate the bloody insurgency in Kashmir and deepen hostility with Pakistan.
The two nuclear powers have fought two of the three wars over the region.
"The reaction will be very strong in today´s turbulent Kashmir, which will make the situation worse," said Jahat Habibullah, a former official in Jammu and Kashmir.
The announcement sparked unrest within the parliament and was described by the largest opposition party Congress as a "catastrophic step".
A member of the Kashmiri-based People´s Democratic Party tore up a copy of the Indian constitution before it was removed from parliament by members of parliament´s security.
Shah tried to play down concerns that the move could trigger new violence.
"Kashmir has been a paradise and it will remain," he told parliament hours before the announcement.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman defended the decision, saying India had waited 70 years to give up Article 370 "and therefore not by surprise."
"This is a black day for democracy in India," former Chief of Government of Jammu and Kashmir Mahbooba Mufti wrote on Twitter.
She added: "The unilateral decision of the Indian government to abolish article 370 is illegal and unconstitutional and will make India an occupying power in Jammu and Kashmir."
The announcement came after a foggy atmosphere in the region as of Friday when New Delhi ordered Hindu tourists and pilgrims to leave "immediately."
At midnight, telephone and Internet networks were cut in the region of more than seven million people and a curfew was imposed.
Article 370 of the Indian Constitution provides for a special status for the state of Jammu and Kashmir and allows the central government in New Delhi to enact legislation on defense, foreign affairs and communications in the region, while the local parliament is concerned with other matters.
A senior government official told AFP that the move would be a factor in the development of the region.
"Although the objective (Article 370) was to provide opportunities for the local population, it discouraged investments because people from outside the region could not own land or bring workers from abroad."
