Tensions Increase As India Arrests Over 500 During Kashmir Clampdown

India arrests over 500 as Kashmir clampdown challenged 

NEW DELHI-The Associated Press

Indian security forces have arrested more 500 people since New Delhi imposed a communications blackout and security clampdown in divided Kashmir, where people remained holed up in their homes for a fourth day.

A petition was filed meanwhile in India's top court challenging the lockdown.

The rigorous security measures followed India's government decision this week to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and downgrade the Himalayan region from statehood to a territory. Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both Indiaand Pakistan, and rebels have been fighting Indian rule in the portion it administers for decades.

State-run All India Radio, which reported on the arrests without details, also said that cross-border firing by Indian and Pakistani troops hit the Rajouri sector of the Indian-controlled Kashmir late on Aug. 7.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the nation on Aug. 8 to discuss Kashmir. His national security adviser, Ajit Doval, visited the region on Aug. 7 to assess the law and order situation.

Activist Ali Mohammed told the New Delhi Television news channel that he has been organizing ambulances to carry sick poor people to hospitals in Srinagar, the main city in India's portion of Kashmir, as local residents can't even use phones to ask for medical help.

In response to India's action, Pakistan on Aug. 7 said it would downgrade its diplomatic ties with New Delhi, expel the Indian ambassador and suspend trade. Prime Minister Imran Khan told Pakistan's National Security Committee that his government will use all diplomatic channels "to expose the brutal Indian racist regime" and human rights violations in Kashmir, the government's statement said.

India regretted Pakistan's steps and said in a statement that "the intention behind these measures is obviously to present an alarming picture to the world of our bilateral ties."

The External Affairs Ministry said it was not surprising that Pakistan has negatively perceived India's decision to end Kashmir's special status as Islamabad "has used such sentiments to justify its cross-border terrorism.'"

Describing India's latest steps in Kashmir as internal affairs, the statement urged Pakistan to review its decision to downgrade ties so that normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved.'