Creating history: Special status for Jammu and Kashmir ends

In a historic decision, the Indian government has announced the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir for the last seven decades.

Article 370 has been removed by a presidential order, Home Minister Amit Shah said in parliament on August 5. The announcement came after days of speculation which saw massive troops mobilisation and administrative orders to cancel the annual Amarnath yatra. The controversial decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security at his official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi.
The decree signed by President Ram Nath Kovind comes into force “at once”. Mr Shah also announced that Jammu and Kashmir will also be “reorganized,” into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature, and Ladakh, which will be without a legislature.

Article 370 provided Jammu and Kashmir its own constitution and decision-making rights for all matters barring defence, communications and foreign affairs.

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