Kashmir crisis deepens India, Pakistan rift

India’s decision to revoke the autonomous status of the disputed Kashmir region has disrupted travel and trade with Pakistan. The Pakistani Ministry of Railways stopped train service to India on Thursday. A day earlier, Pakistan said it would recall its ambassador to India and suspend trade relations.

What sparked Pakistan’s reaction? India announced Monday it was ending Kashmir’s special status, which allowed the region to operate independently and prevented out-of-state Indians from permanently settling in the area. India and Pakistan both claim full ownership of the region although they each govern different areas. Indian authorities have arrested more than 500 people in Kashmir since the announcement, and hundreds of poor, migrant workers have fled the region.

Dig deeper: Irfan Nooruddin, the director of the South Asia Center at the Washington, D.C.–based Atlantic Council, talked with Foreign Policy about the possible fallout from India’s action.