India revokes presidential rule in occupied Kashmir to pave way for local government

ANKARA (AA) – India has revoked direct rule in occupied Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the formation of a new elected government in the region.

According to a notification signed by President Droupadi Murmu, the order dated October 31, 2019 in relation to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall stand revoked immediately before the appointment of the chief minister of the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

An alliance between occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s oldest political party and India’s Congress last week won majority of the seats in elections that concluded on October 1, paving way for restoration of an elected representative government in the Indian-occupied Kashmir for the first time in six years.

From 2018 to August 5, 2019, New Delhi ruled the region directly through a governor who wielded as much authority as an elected government.

It was then made a federally ruled territory and has since been under a lieutenant governor.

In last week’s election result, the National Conference-Congress alliance, which won 48 seats in the 90-seat local assembly, were set to form the first elected government in the disputed Muslim-majority region in six years. While National Conference emerged as the single-largest party with 42 seats, Congress won six.

The vote will lead to a limited transition of power from New Delhi to the local assembly, as Jammu and Kashmir will remain a union territory under direct federal control and the Indian parliament will be its top legislature.

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which considers the abrogation of autonomy as one of its crowning achievements, won 29 seats in the Hindu-majority districts of the occupied Jammu province, failing even to open an account in the disputed territory of Kashmir.​​​​​​​