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'Darkest Hour': What Pakistan's Media Said About Scrapping Of Article 370

Most English dailies in Pakistan condemned the move to bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir and called it "India’s evil designs".

Pakistan condemned Narendra Modi government’s move to scrap Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcate the state. Prime Minister Imran Khan termed the move to revoke Article 370 as “illegal” and said it will “further deteriorate” relations between the nuclear-capable neighbours.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said, “Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised disputed territory”.

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As the party to this international dispute, Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps,” it added.

Pakistan’s media unequivocally condemned India’s move, calling it the “darkest hour”.

Pakistan has been in a territorial conflict with India since Kashmir’s accession to India in 1947. There had been a complete break down of diplomacy between India and Pakistan in the recent months after the Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir that killed 40 CRPF jawans.

Here’s what the editorials of major Pakistan’s newspapers said:

Dawn

“The resolution and a presidential order were used to deprive the Jammu & Kashmir assembly of the right to have a say in any changes desired in its status,” said the editorial in Dawn.

The Express Tribune

The editorial in The Express Tribune is titled, “India’s evil designs on Kashmir” and said, “We don’t know if the international community — the United Nations and the European Union — or the Muslim Ummah and its timid representative body, the Organisation of Islamic Countries, would take any notice of Geelani’s SOS, but the poor Kashmiris may continue to suffer with the Valley likely to take another major bloodbath and probably for a long time to come.”

The Nation

“Kashmir’s worst fear has been realized. With Kashmiri politicians under arrest, an information blackout in place, and soldiers marching through the streets suppressing any dissent with brute force, India has attempted to annex Kashmir without their consent,” said The Nation in its editorial.

The News

Titled “Dark days in Kashmir”, the editorial said that removal of Article 370 “gives India a free hand to create massive demographic change, possibly even ending the Muslim majority of Kashmir.”

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.