India vs Pak: Contrasting Media Coverage on Article 370, Kashmir

The Tribune stated that India has stripped ‘Occupied Kashmir’ of its special status and revoked property curbs.

While Indian newspapers largely hailed the move, Pakistani newspapers were skeptical in their coverage. 

(Photo: PTI)

'History, in one stroke' – That's how The Indian Express covered Monday's announcement by Home Minister Amit Shah on abrogating Article 370, effectively revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Rajya Sabha, on the same day, approved the resolution and passed a separate Bill to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.

The announcements stirred instant reactions from people across the country. Indian newspapers made sure to provide extensive coverage on what is being seen as one of the biggest changes in the country’s constitutional history.

'Kashmir is Now Union's Territory': The Times of India

(Photo Courtesy: The Times of India)

Titled 'Kashmir is now Union's Territory,' The Times of India in its lead story stated how the 'historic' decision changed the terms of engagement with Jammu and Kashmir by doing away with the special status the state enjoyed under Article 370, scrapping of Article 35A and splitting the sensitive border state into two UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The daily also included an infographic explaining what happened, what it means and how history is testament to how BJP and Sangh Parivar had always advocated for Article 370’s dilution.

(Photo Courtesy: The Times of India)

'History in One Stroke': The Indian Express

Calling it a 'momentous decision', Shubhajit Roy and Manoj CG explained in The Indian Express how the Bifurcation Bill will be taken up in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

(Photo Courtesy: The Indian Express)

(Photo Courtesy: The Indian Express)

The article was also coupled with a caricature of Amit Shah, triumphantly holding his party symbol, a lotus.

“The decision of the government to do away with the special status to J&K and bifurcate the state into two UTs took the nation by surprise, and came after the state was placed under a lock-down with security forces imposing prohibitory orders, and communication lines being drowned,” stated the daily.

'Territory of the Union': Hindustan Times

Hindustan Times explained how the day unfolded from 9 am to 6:50 pm on Monday, in what turned out to be a dramatic sequence of events.

“In a move planned with political and legal precision, and complete suspensem the central government led a move in the Rajya Sabha on Monday to end the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). By the end of the day, Article 370 and Article 35A, which have, for close to seven decades, defined the state's relationship with the Union, were effectively rendered null and void,” it stated.

(Photo Courtesy: Hindustan Times)

On the other hand, in Pakistan, the coverage of Monday's events was quite different. The headlines on the front pages of Dawn, The Nation and The Tribune stood in stark contrast to Indian newspapers.

The dailies mostly focused on how Kashmir ‘has been stripped of its liberties’ with The Tribune even calling 5 August, the ‘Darkest Day for Kashmir.’

'New Delhi Sheds Fig Leaf, Robs Held Kashmir of Special Status': Dawn

Baqir Sajjad Syed, in his article for Dawn, stated that President Arif Alvi has summoned an emergency joint sitting of the two Houses to discuss the situation that has developed 'after Indian development's decision to revoke the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir.'

On the front page, Dawn also included pictures of protests with placards, 'We failed Kashmir again!'

(Photo Courtesy: Dawn)

'India Forcibly Revokes IOK Special Status': The Nation

Stating that tensions between India and Pakistan have intensified after India changed the status of the disputed territory of ‘Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK)‘, an article, written by Shafqat Ali in The Nation stated the decision ‘stripped Kashmiris of the special autonomy they had for seven decades.'

(Photo Courtesy: The Nation)

'Darkest Day for Kashmir': The Tribune

The Tribune, meanwhile, titled it report on Kashmir as 'Occupation Redux.’

“India strips occupied Kashmir of special status, revokes property curbs and imposes communication blackout,” the report read.

In a subhead, it also stated, "Pakistan strongly rejects India's 'illegal' move.'

(Photo Courtesy: The Tribune)

Meanwhile, because of a media outage in Jammu and Kashmir, dailies and online portals were unable to report on the abrogation of Article 370.