The ramifications of government’s blockbuster Kashmir move will certainly be debated for days to come. But one thing that is clear is that the move changes the terms of engagement with Pakistan. The latter was upping the ante vis-a-vis Kashmir in recent days, confident that it had got the US exactly where it wanted.
Washington, keen on withdrawing from Afghanistan and looking to hammer out a peace deal with the Afghan Taliban as early as September, was looking to Islamabad to facilitate the process. This was emboldening Islamabad which had raised the issue of American mediation in Kashmir, a bait that Donald Trump was willing to take.
But by nullifying Article 370 that gave special status to Kashmir and creating two new Union territories of J&K and Ladakh, India seized back the momentum and effectively ended the disputed status of Kashmir. This will also change New Delhi’s equation with Islamabad. The latter has always raised Kashmir as a core issue in bilateral engagements. That, New Delhi will point out, is no longer necessary. In fact, India can now fully highlight cross-border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan as the key regional problem.
That said, what the latest changes mean for India’s claim on PoK remains to be seen. Technically, India will still claim the areas occupied by Pakistan and China. But having divided Kashmir further and bringing the resultant areas under greater Central control, India’s claims on PoK and Aksai Chin get diluted. But that’s a strategic fight for another day.
