NEW DELHI—Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first public comments since his government’s move to end the autonomy of the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, dismissed concerns about lasting unrest after a military clampdown is lifted and said the new status would help the economy and boost the welfare of Kashmiris.
In the 40-minute nationally televised address, Mr. Modi criticized the unique autonomy India’s only Muslim-majority state had before as encouraging anti-India sentiments. He said it had become a weapon for India’s enemy Pakistan, which also claims the area as its own.
“The people of Kashmir and Jammu have been strong enough to thwart any conspiracy by Pakistan to fuel terrorism and separatism,” he said. “I assure the situation will gradually improve and the life of people will become much easier.”
Mr. Modi’s comments come as India scrambles to contain domestic and international reverberations from the decision, which Hindu nationalist supporters in his Bharatiya Janata Party have long sought.
The Indian-administered portion of Kashmir, separated from Pakistan by a heavily militarized line of control that has served as an unofficial border since just after the two countries were partitioned in 1947, has been rocked by violence over the decades and India has fought rebels and confronted anti-Indian protests in recent years.
India has made the move at a sensitive time, however, just months after the two nuclear-armed countries exchanged airstrikes after a bombing in Kashmir claimed by a Pakistan-based extremist group. The decision, which has been accompanied by a blanket military clampdown in Kashmir, also complicates U.S. efforts to close a peace deal with the Taliban that would allow President Trump to fulfill a campaign promise.
Pakistan, whose influence over the Taliban U.S. negotiators are counting on, has stridently criticized the Indian move and appealed to the U.S. and other countries to put pressure on India to reverse the decision. Pakistan officials have said they may move troops from along the country’s border with Afghanistan, where U.S. officials want them to help pressure the Taliban into a cease-fire, to near the border with Kashmir to closely manage the situation there.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called for restraint from India and Pakistan, and expressed concern over the clampdown.
“The Secretary-General is also concerned over reports of restrictions on the Indian-side of Kashmir, which could exacerbate the human rights situation in the region. The Secretary-General calls on all parties to refrain from taking steps that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir,” the U.N. said in a statement.
Mr. Modi underscored in his speech that India considers the status of Jammu and Kashmir purely an internal concern of India, a longstanding position India has reiterated since the move on Monday.
But Mr. Trump last month raised the possibility of him playing the role of mediator between the two sides in Kashmir, something Pakistan has long sought. After a meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister in Washington last month, Mr. Trump said he had been asked to play such a role.
Mr. Trump hasn’t directly addressed India’s move this week. A State Department spokeswoman on Monday issued a statement that Washington is closely following developments. The statement described India’s move as “strictly an internal matter,” while expressing concern about reports of detentions and urging respect for individual rights and discussion with Kashmiris.
Pakistan’s leadership was heartened by a set of tweets Wednesday from Sen. Lindsey Graham, a confidant of Mr. Trump who helped arrange the meeting between Mr. Trump and Pakistan’s prime minister and powerful army chief.
In the tweets, Mr. Graham said he spoke with Pakistan’s foreign minister about the “growing crisis” in Kashmir and urged the Trump administration to provide assistance to both countries to help de-escalate tensions before they spiral.
“The last thing the region and the world needs is further military confrontations between India and Pakistan over Kashmir,” he tweeted.
In Kashmir, the military lockdown and near-complete communications blackout continued for a fourth day. While the streets have been largely empty, according to local police and residents who left after the lockdown began, but sporadic confrontations have broken out between stone-throwing youths and paramilitary troops and police.Police said hundreds of people have been arrested since Sunday.
Write to Bill Spindle at bill.spindle@wsj.com and Rajesh Roy at rajesh.roy@wsj.com
