As Eid Arrives, People in Kashmir Still Don't Know What the Future Holds

One question has been reverberating across the Kashmir Valley: What do the coming days hold? Answers, though, are hard to come by.

A deceptive calm hangs over the region after the government of India decided to strike down the special status enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir under the constitution of India. Parliament voted to scrap Articles 370 and 35A, the two provisions which accorded a unique position to the state. In addition, Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two union territories – J&K and Ladakh.

The fate of more than 1.25 crore people was rewritten after the Centre launched a massive clampdown in the region, following more than a week of rumours of all kinds, and large-scale troops’ buildup. All means of communication – internet, mobile phones and landline services and even local cable network – remain blocked. Seven days on, the Valley continues to reel under a curfew.

voters