After observing the China-India standoff, it ultimately boils down to one conclusion: Why scrapping Article 370 was a stupid move by India.

I shall elaborate the same in this thread.

#IndiaChinaFaceOff

So what was Article 370 in India's Constitution?

Here are the details:
https://indiankanoon.org/doc/666119/ 

In other words, India will take care of defense, finance and foreign policy whilst the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir will remain autonomous.

More like two entities in one.

What's the situation?

Pakistan is in charge of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

India is in charge of the Kashmir Valley, Jammu, Kargil and Ladakh.

Pakistan and India both claim full territory.

China is in charge of Aksai Chin which is claimed by India.

So how did Article 370 play a role?

While India was the de jure ruler, the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir was still a de facto autonomous state in its own right. India had no trouble from China because India could claim Aksai Chin on behalf of Jammu and Kashmir, not India.

While Pakistan engaged in low-level wars of attrition by funding terrorists, Article 370 kind of provided a shield for India from Pakistan, China and the rest of the world.

Nobody could claim Kashmir was being occupied because Article 370 recognized it as an autonomous entity.

Before 2014, Pakistan was on the back-foot and losing the Kashmir narrative because India's then-PM Dr. Manmohan Singh wanted to reconcile with Kashmiris. Violence came down gradually under his tenure despite a temporary spike in 2010.

After 2014, BJP captured power in India.

Now Narendra Modi isn't exactly a good administrator. He became PM making tall promises which he wouldn't meet at all. He brought with him his religious bias. His religious, cultural and ethnic bias came to the forefront.

BJP was allied with PDP in Kashmir and formed the govt.

In 2016, the Kashmir valley was on fire. Things became so bad that Kashmir was already beginning to become an international issue. Then in 2018, the BJP regime at New Delhi did something unexpected: After breaking up with PDP, the J&K governor appointed by New Delhi dissolved/

the assembly when anti-BJP parties staked claim to form the govt, effectively bringing Kashmir directly under the Indian President's rule.

Then on August 5, 2019, Article 370 was scrapped.

What was China's first reaction? China claimed that India was trying to grab Aksai Chin!

Read this:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/china-raked-up-status-of-aksai-chin-at-unsc-informal-session/articleshow/70747053.cms?from=mdr

But wasn't India claiming Aksai Chin since the Nehru years?

Yes, but the difference is, India was claiming Aksai Chin not on behalf of the Republic of India but the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir! What did this rather convenient setup do?

Remember Pakistan also claims the Princely State in its entirety. Maintaining the autonomous entity gave India bargaining power on its behalf instead of direct dealing. Since Pakistan also claims it, it kind of put Pakistan and China on a collision course via the Princely State.

Now with Article 370 gone, there's no longer the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir, only India. So instead of China and Pakistan vis-à-vis Jammu and Kashmir, China and India are on a collision course.

Before 2014, Chinese forces didn't enter Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Post BJP, it began. China and Russia both trained with Pakistani forces in Pakistan-administered Kashmir even before 2019.

That in itself should tell you how strong Dr. MMS really was and how weak Modi really is.

Remember Jammu and Kashmir is still disputed territory at the UN.

Article 370 provided a convenient cover for India to carry out its interests in the region on behalf of the Princely State. Since there's no autonomous entity any longer, all claims by India to Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Aksai Chin are effectively null and void.

Also remember Tibet is considered an autonomous province in China. Tibetans enjoy special rights which mainland Chinese people don't. And nobody claims Tibet.

So China can pummel its way into Ladakh (as it does Arunachal Pradesh) on behalf of (Southern) Tibet all it wants.

Meanwhile, without the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir, India lost all its claims to Aksai Chin, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

India lost for BJP's political gain.

This is the end of my thread.

Thank you all for reading.

Good morning. Have a nice day.