From autonomy to 'settler colonialism': How India redrew Kashmir's demographic and political landscape

From autonomy to 'settler colonialism': How India redrew Kashmir's demographic and political landscape Submitted by MEE correspondent on Fri, 08/07/2026 - 15:49 New domicile rules, electoral gerrymandering and changing land laws have fuelled debate over identity and representation in Indian-administered Kashmir A Special Operations Group officer of the Indian police checks a pedestrian’s mobile phone in Srinagar, Kashmir, ahead of India’s Republic Day on 22 January 2026 (Tauseef Mustafa/AFP) Off Seven years after India revoked the special constitutional status of Indian-administered Kashmir , changes to land ownership, residency laws and governance have continued to reshape the region, which critics have called a part of a multi-pronged strategy to alter Kashmir's demographic and political landscape. On 5 August 2019, India's ruling right-wing nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government revoked Article 370 and Article 35A, which granted Jammu and Kashmir autonomy and constitutional safeguards. What followed was a legal onslaught for a broader restructuring of the contested region, parts of which are held by India, Pakistan and China.