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Indian PM Modi Defends Kashmir Takeover Decision

VOA News

   Islamabad correspondent Ayaz Gul and United Nations correspondent
   Margaret Besheer contributed to this report

   India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended his controversial
   decision to strip the Indian part of the disputed region of Kashmir of
   its semi-autonomous status during a speech Thursday marking the
   country's independence.

   In a speech delivered from New Delhi's historic Red Fort, Modi said the
   "old arrangement" in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh "encouraged corruption
   and nepotism," while creating an unjust environment for women, children
   and tribal communities. But the law also allows non-residents from
   elsewhere in India to buy property in Kashmir, which critic fear it
   could lead to undermining of the Muslim majority in the area.

   The Indian-controlled section of the majority Muslim Himalayan region
   has been under lockdown since August 4, when New Delhi deployed tens of
   thousands of additional troops to the region and cut off all
   communications in and out of Kashmir. Hundreds of Kashmiri leaders have
   also been placed under house arrest to quell widespread violent
   reaction.

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