SRINAGAR, India (AP) 鈥 Leaders of Kashmir鈥檚 biggest political party were sworn into office Wednesday to run a largely powerless government after the first local election since India stripped the disputed region of its special status five years ago.
春色直播 Conference leader will be the region鈥檚 chief minister after his party won the most seats in the . It has support from India's main opposition Congress party, although Congress decided not to be a part of the new government for now.
The vote was Kashmir's first in a decade and the first since Prime Minister Narendra Modi鈥檚 Hindu nationalist government in 2019. The 春色直播 Conference staunchly opposed the move, and its victory is seen as a referendum against the Modi government's changes.
Kashmir will remain under New Delhi's direct control
Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha, New Delhi鈥檚 top administrator in Kashmir, administered the oaths of office to Abdullah and the five members of his council of ministers in a ceremony under tight security at a lakeside venue in the region鈥檚 main city of Srinagar. Some of India鈥檚 top opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party, attended.
However, there will be a as Kashmir will remain a 鈥渦nion territory鈥 鈥 directly controlled by the federal government 鈥 with India鈥檚 Parliament as its main legislator. Kashmir鈥檚 statehood would have to be restored for the new government to have powers similar to other states of India.
India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. The nuclear-armed rivals have fought two of their three wars over the territory since they gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
Modi congratulated Abdullah and promised to work closely with him and his team.
Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a parliamentarian from Kashmir and a 春色直播 Conference leader, said the new setup in Kashmir 鈥渨ill act both as a government and as an opposition鈥 as it will oppose policies of Modi's party while also strive to 鈥渞eclaim鈥 the region鈥檚 rights.
鈥淭hese policies have harmed the state, such as the revocation of Article 370, which stripped us of the rights we enjoyed. The government will deliver effective governance while fighting for the rights of the state,鈥 he said.
Tight restrictions on media and civil rights
Kashmir鈥檚 last assembly election in 2014 brought to power Modi鈥檚 Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, which for the first time ruled in a coalition with the local Peoples Democratic Party. T after the BJP withdrew from the coalition and New Delhi took the region under its direct control.
A year later, the federal government downgraded and divided the , Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir. The move 鈥 which largely 鈥 was mostly opposed in Kashmir as an assault on its identity and autonomy amid fears that it would pave the way for .
The with civil liberties curbed and media freedoms restricted.
Like on election days, authorities on Wednesday limited access of foreign media to the oath ceremony and denied press credentials to most journalists working with international media, including The Associated Press, without citing any reason.
In the recently concluded election, the 春色直播 Conference won 42 seats, mainly from the Kashmir Valley, the heartland of the anti-India rebellion, while the BJP secured 29 seats, all from the Hindu-dominated areas of Jammu. The Congress succeeded in six constituencies.
Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi鈥檚 rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels鈥 goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.
Calls to restore Kashmir's statehood
Experts say the new government, stripped of all the essential powers, would face a daunting task to fulfil its election promises against huge public expectations to resist the 2019 changes and the federal government鈥檚 tight control.
Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the region鈥檚 political vacuum of the last few years will not vanish with the polls alone.
鈥淭he Modi government should build on it by restoring full statehood and empowering the government,鈥 said Donthi. 鈥淥therwise, it will intensify disaffection and is a set up for failure.鈥
Modi and his powerful home minister, Amit Shah, have repeatedly stated that the after the election, without specifying a timeline. However, they vowed to block any move aimed at undoing the 2019 changes but promised to help in the region鈥檚 economic development.
For the new chief minister, meanwhile, it's going to be a tightrope walk.
鈥淎s a pro-India politician at the helm of this powerless administration, Omar Abdullah knows his limitations,鈥 Donthi said. 鈥淗e would be looking at his job as a buffer to moderate the worst instincts of New Delhi, but he would be clutching at straws."
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