Politics of Jammu and Kashmir

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Politics of Jammu and Kashmir
Government of Jammu and Kashmir.svg
Polity type Union territory of India: A federal territory with its own elected legislatures and governments; with partial statehood
Constitution Constitution of India
Legislative branch
Name Legislative Assembly
Type Unicameral
Presiding officerVacant
Executive branch
Head of State
Title Lieutenant Governor
Currently Manoj Sinha
Head of Government
Title Chief Minister
CurrentlyVacant
Judicial branch
Jammu and Kashmir High Court
Chief judge Ali Mohammad Magrey

Jammu and Kashmir is administered by the Republic of India within the framework of a federal parliamentary republic as a union territory, like the union territory of Puducherry, with a multi-party democratic system of governance. Until 2019, it was governed as a state administered by India. Politics in the region reflects the historical tension and dispute that the state has been a part of in the form of the Kashmir conflict. The head of state is the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, currently Manoj Sinha, while the head of government is the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, currently vacant. Legislative power is vested in the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, although this was dissolved by the Governor on 21 November 2018. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Contents

History

Gulab Singh has been called as the founder of the polity of Jammu and Kashmir. [1] Following the 1860s, interaction with British India resulted in the region becoming a part of the geopolitical game between Russia and Britain. [2] During the period of India's independence, the partition, up till and after India becoming a Republic, the question of Kashmir's future marked political decisions. The introduction of Pakistan into the internal political situation at this stage created complexities. [3]

Some observers point out that the Kashmir conflict is a political issue. [4] Amidst the political instability that the conflict has brought to the region, all the governments of Jammu and Kashmir have been engaged in attaining normalcy. [5] The state has seen a "parallel existence of the democratic and separatist sphere of politics" and a shift from political hegemony till as late as 2002 to a multi-party system. [6]

Historically Kashmiri Muslims preferred greater autonomy and sovereignty for the region or an independent Kashmir. However a minority of the non-Muslims who live in the region prefer the state to be fully integrated into India. Some Kashmiri Muslims also prefer to be part of Pakistan and a small part of Kashmir is under Pakistan control. There have also been a number of separatist movements, both political and militant, mostly led by Muslim leaders. However, in recent years there have been claims that a growing number of Kashmiri Muslims have been leaning towards remaining in India for economic and cultural reasons. [7] [8] A 2008 report by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees determined that the State of Jammu and Kashmir was the only 'Partly free' state in India [9] but it is now a Union Territory rather than a State. Human rights abuses in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and a strong Indian army presence have also been an issue and affect the politics of the region.

In August 2019, the Government of India introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha and moved resolution to scrap the Article 370 from the Constitution of India and bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmir with a legislation like Delhi, and Ladakh with a legislation like Chandigarh. [10] Jammu and Kashmir was the only Indian state that had its own flag. However, as Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which granted Jammu and Kashmir autonomy, was abrogated in August 2019, the flag has lost its official status.

Political parties of Jammu & Kashmir

List of political parties: [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Article 370 of the Indian constitution gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, a region located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and part of the larger region of Kashmir which has been the subject of a dispute between India, Pakistan and China since 1947. Jammu and Kashmir was administered by India as a state from 17 November 1952 to 31 October 2019, and Article 370 conferred on it the power to have a separate constitution, a state flag, and autonomy of internal administration.

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On 26 May 2008, the government of India and the state Government of Jammu and Kashmir reached an agreement to transfer 99 acres (0.40 km2) of forest land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) in the main Kashmir valley to set up temporary shelters and facilities for Hindu pilgrims. This caused a controversy, with demonstrations from the Kashmir valley against the land transfer and protests from the Jammu region supporting it. The largest demonstration saw more than 500,000 protesters at a single rally, among the largest in Kashmir's history.

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The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, also known as the Jammu and Kashmir Vidhan Sabha is the legislature of Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

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Shabir Ahmad Shah popularly known as Shabir Shah, in Kadipora, Anantnag, Kashmir is the founder and president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), one of the main separatist political organizations seeking "right of self-determination" to Jammu and Kashmir.

The Kashmiri diaspora refers to Kashmiris who have migrated out of the Kashmir into other areas and countries, and their descendants.

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The Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, or Pandits, is their early-1990 migration, or flight, from the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley in Indian-administered Kashmir following rising violence in an insurgency. Of a total Pandit population of 120,000–140,000 some 90,000–100,000 left the valley or felt compelled to leave by the middle of 1990, by which time about 30–80 of them are said to have been killed by militants.

The Jammu Praja Parishad was a political party active in the Jammu Division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. It was founded in November 1947 by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist Balraj Madhok, and served as the main opposition party in the state. It maintained close ties with Bharatiya Jana Sangh during its lifetime and merged with the latter in 1963. Its main activity was to campaign for the close integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India and oppose the special status granted to the state under the Article 370 of the Indian constitution. After its merger with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the precursor of the present day Bharatiya Janata Party, the party gradually rose in stature. As an integral part of the Bharatiya Janata Party, it was a partner in the ruling coalition led by the People's Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Jammu and Kashmir</span> Overview of and topical guide to Jammu and Kashmir

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Jammu and Kashmir:

Under Dogra rule, people in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir launched several political movements. Despite ideological differences and varying goals they aimed to improve the status of Muslims in a state ruled by a Hindu dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)</span> Region administered by India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019</span> Act of the Indian Parliament

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 is an act of the parliament of India containing provisions to reconstitute the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Indian-administered union territories (UTs) called Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, and becoming effective on 31 October 2019. A bill for the act was introduced by the Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, in the Rajya Sabha on 5 August 2019 and was passed on the same day. It was then passed by the Lok Sabha on 6 August 2019 and it received the president's assent on 9 August 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir</span> 2019 Indian political incident

On 5 August 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status, or autonomy, granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir—a region administered by India as a state which consists of the larger part of Kashmir which has been the subject of dispute among India, Pakistan, and China since 1947.

References

  1. Muhammad 2019, p. Chapter 10.
  2. Kaur 1996, p. 9.
  3. Puri 2015, p. 217–221.
  4. Wani 2018, p. Acknowledgement.
  5. Wani 2018, p. Introduction.
  6. Rekha 2019, p. Introduction.
  7. "A growing peace constituency - Times of India". The Times of India.
  8. "Welcome to Frontline : Vol. 29 :: No. 13". Hinduonnet.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2 July 2008). "Refworld | Freedom in the World 2008 - Kashmir [India]". UNHCR. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  10. "Govt introduces J&K Reorganisation Bill 2019 in Rajya Sabha; moves resolution revoking Article 370 | DD News". www.ddnews.gov.in. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Jammu and Kashmir Elections and Results - News and Updates on Chief Ministers, Cabinet and Governors". www.elections.in. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  12. "BJP launches website ahead of Modi's rally in Jammu & Kashmir".

Bibliography

Further reading