TEHRAN, November 22 - India's government has dissolved the Kashmir state assembly in a sudden move that could lead to fresh elections and further turmoil in the disputed region also claimed by Pakistan.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The move, which came after two rival local alliances both staked claims to form a government in the heavily-militarised region, was seen to strengthen the hand of the New Delhi government, which has ruled Kashmir directly since June and is gearing up for next year's general election.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hand-picked governor said he dissolved the legislature late Wednesday in the absence of stable government in Jammu and Kashmir, in India's far north.
Satya Pal Malik said late Wednesday that elections would be held "at an appropriate time so that a government with a clear mandate is duly formed".
Malik is the first politician to be appointed governor of Jammu and Kashmir in decades, with the role traditionally reserved for non-political figures.
The Indian-administered region has been plagued for decades by political instability and an armed insurgency that has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians.
Rebel groups have long fought half a million Indian troops stationed there, demanding an independent state or merger with Pakistan.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled out of the governing coalition in Jammu and Kashmir in June, because of what it called worsening "terrorism and violence".
This latest move has agitated an alliance of local parties that claimed to have a majority in parliament, and a right to rule free from New Delhi's control.
Malik dismissed their claim, saying "extensive horse-trading and possible exchange of money" had occurred and the alliance could not ensure stable government.
The BJP called for fresh polls "at the earliest".
"J&K needs a firm administration to deal with terrorism and not a combination of terror-friendly parties," the ruling party declared in a Twitter post late Wednesday.
Source: AFP
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