Muzamil Jaleel

If, indeed, New Delhi believes the decision is for the good of the people, then what explains the siege around every household, an unprecedented communication blockade, a record troop build-up and the detention of almost everyone who has a political or social standing in Kashmir?

Before August 5, Urdu was the official language of J&K state, while official transactions and orders were also conducted and issued in English.

The pro-India political camp in Kashmir point to the irony in this: 80 years ago, the flag’s creators had conceived it as a symbol of unity — across classes, and religions.

Like the over 50 men detained, their relatives — wives, children, mothers, sisters and parents — are all former VIPs. Until recently, their faces and names were a free pass through any official door in Kashmir.

Three weeks into the lockdown, abrogation of the state’s special status, its bifurcation and downgrade into a Union Territory, the political vacuum is deepening on the ground.

Independence Day in Kashmir: “We are ready for the main function tomorrow. It will be held in Srinagar where the national flag will be hoisted by the Honourable Governor. In Jammu, the celebrations will be led by the Advisor to the Honourable Governor,” Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal said.

The government had brought satellite phones for its use, but soon found that they weren’t working. Subsequently, the cellphone companies, especially the government-owned BSNL, were asked to de-block a select number of phones.

Days ahead of New Delhi’s move, Sajad Lone was part of the all-party meet in Srinagar that had called “any fiddling with J&K’s special status an aggression against the people of the state".

Faesal, the first Kashmiri to top the IAS in 2009, resigned from the service earlier this year and set up J&K People's Movement with an aim to join mainstream electoral politics.

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad is set to travel to Srinagar on Thursday, but sources said he is expected to be sent back from the airport.

The Kashmir Valley’s connection with the inside and the outside world has been cut — all internet connectivity, cellular, landline, and cable TV services have been snapped.

In February, when air ticket prices surged leading to public anger, the matter was taken up by the J&K government. At that time, the Delhi-Srinagar air fare was between Rs 13,000 to Rs 17, 000.

A commander of the Islamic State Jammu Kashmir (ISJK), which operates under the banner of Wilayah Al Hind, was killed and a Hizbul militant seriously injured in the gunfight in Anantnag district Wednesday.

The entire security grid in J&K is on its toes after the alert, which came just days ago, regarding a possible attack by militants using an improvised explosive device mounted on a vehicle.

The state has been under central rule eight times, and moved from Governor’s rule to President’s rule (after six months) on two of those occasions.

What is the law, and why has it been challenged?

The petition generated fresh interest within the two opposing political camps in J&K, which had staked claim to form the government hours before the Assembly was dissolved.

The move by the Governor to introduce another law under his tenure — now for his own security — has been questioned by political leaders, who described it as 'ironic' and an attempt to create 'a great wall of China around himself'.

The reason for the focus on the Resettlement Law case is the apprehension among J&K’s political parties that, like in the case related to Article 35A, the Governor’s administration would “dilute” the stance of successive state governments in the court.