Modi is betting his legacy on ‘solving’ the issue of Kashmir – for better or worse

Politics Explained: Local politicians have vowed to fight the Indian government’s decision to scrap Kashmir’s special status

India’s dramatic announcement that it was moving to redraw the borders of Jammu and Kashmir state, reducing it to two less autonomous “union territories” and scrapping the Kashmir valley’s special constitutional status, is going to cause shockwaves that are felt far beyond the northernmost tip of India.

Pakistan has called it “illegal”; local party leaders say it is a “total betrayal” of the people of Kashmir. And while it was passed in parliament and given presidential approval, the decision is certain to be challenged in the courts.

To explain the significance of Article 370, the clause of the Indian constitution that is being scrapped, it is essential to go back to the foundation of India as an independent nation after the end of British colonial rule.