UN experts: Loss of Kashmir autonomy undermining minority rights

UN rights experts say loss of Kashmir’s autonomy and subsequent legislation threaten the disputed region’s demographics.

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir – United Nations human rights experts have expressed concern over India’s decision to strip Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019 and the subsequent passing of new laws, which they warned “could curtail the previous level of political participation of Muslims and other minorities”. The statement on Thursday came a day after nearly two dozen foreign envoys from African, European and Latin American nations visited the disputed region on a government-guided tour to assess the situation. In August 2019, India’s Hindu nationalist government abrogated Article 370 of the constitution, which had given exclusive citizenship rights to the residents of the Muslim-majority region.