By A Representative
In a scathing critique of the Government of India's decision to revoke the "semiautonomous" status of Kashmir, which was "accompanied" by a huge security clampdown, the New York Times (NYT) has called the step "dangerous and wrong", warning, "Bloodshed is all but certain, and tension with Pakistan will soar."
In an editorial representing the opinions of the NYT board, its editor and the publisher, NYT says, "The Indian government knows how incendiary its actions are, which is why, before making the announcement on Monday, it ordered tens of thousands more troops into Kashmir, put major political figures under house arrest, ordered tourists to leave, closed schools and cut off internet services."
According to the editorial, titled "India Tempts Fate in Kashmir, the Most Dangerous Place in the World", while "there is still a good chance that the changes to the Constitution will end up before India’s Supreme Court", fires have already been lit. "By revoking the special status of the mountainous territory, India is courting conflict with Pakistan", it adds.
It advises the United States and China that they "must not allow Kashmir to become a pawn in their ongoing disputes", Insisting, "The United States, China, the United Nations and other powers with influence over India and Pakistan must urgently do what they can to prevent India’s folly from escalating into a perilous and unpredictable regional crisis."
Disputing the government claim that it was acting to prevent a planned terrorist attack, the editorial says, "But Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his governing BJP, deeply rooted in Hindu nationalist ideology, have long made no secret of their intention to revoke the articles in the Indian Constitution granting the predominantly Muslim Kashmir a special status — a move the BJP sees as 'correcting a historical blunder'.”
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