The Indian government on Monday stripped Kashmir of the special autonomy it has had for seven decades, prompting a furious response from nuclear-armed rival Pakistan and receiving backlash and strong condemnation from Indian opposition, Kashmir regional leader sand activists. 

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist party rushed through a presidential decree to scrap from the constitution, the Indian-ruled part of the disputed territory's special status.

It also moved a bill proposing the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, be divided into two regions directly ruled by New Delhi.

The announcement sparked chaotic scenes in the national parliament, and the main opposition Congress party described it as a "catastrophic step," while its neighbor Pakistan condemned the decree as "illegal."

"Shameful that you have turned Jammu and Kashmir into a non-entity," said Ghulam Nabi Azad, a Congressman who represents the India-controlled Kashmir. 

One legislator from Peoples Democratic Party, a Kashmir-based party, was removed by parliamentary marshals from the chambers, as he tore up a copy of the Indian constitution after the announcement was made. 

Kashmir leaders also condemned the decree. 

Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir described Monday as Indian democracy's "darkest day," saying Delhi's move was illegal and unconstitutional, while making India "an occupational force" in the state. 

Mufti also said this decision of taking away Kashmir's special status would further complicate the already complicated region and people there felt "betrayed."

Pakistan's response

Pakistan's foreign ministry also described the move as "illegal," adding that "as the party to this international dispute, Pakistan will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps" in a statement.

A senior Pakistani security source said that a meeting of the Pakistani military's top commanders had been called for Tuesday.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947.

For three decades the Indian-administered part has been in the grip of an insurgency that has left tens of thousands dead.

Armed Kashmiri rebels and many residents have fought for the region's independence or to join neighbor Pakistan.

There were already growing fears among Kashmiris that the special status would be ditched after Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) obtained a large parliamentary majority in recent elections.

His party had vowed to fulfil a long-held promise to scrap the laws, and many fear New Delhi wants to change the region's demographics by allowing non-Kashmiris, mostly Hindus, to buy land locally.

The fears came true when Home Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Modi, told parliament on Monday that the president had issued a decree abolishing Article 370 of the constitution, which gives special autonomy to the Himalayan region.

The decree said the measure came into force "at once."

The announcement follows days of uncertainty in the region that began on Friday when New Delhi ordered tourists and Hindu pilgrims to leave "immediately."

All phones, internet services and cable networks in the restive Himalayan region of more than seven million people were cut at midnight, and only residents issued with a curfew pass were allowed on the streets.

Ahead of the announcements, tens of thousands of extra Indian troops were also deployed in the territory, and a security lockdown was imposed overnight Sunday with all telecommunications there cut.

The move is set to exacerbate the already bloody rebellion in Kashmir and deepen the long-running animosity with nuclear rival Pakistan which has fought two out of three wars with India over the territory.

"There will a very strong reaction in Kashmir. It's already in a state of unrest and this will only make it worse," said Wajahat Habibullah, a former senior bureaucrat in the India-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir.

But Home Minister Shah sought to allay fears that the government's actions could fuel fresh violence.

"Kashmir was a paradise, is a paradise and will remain a paradise," he told parliament hours after announcing the contentious decision.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also defended the move, saying India had waited for 70 years to ditch Article 370 "so it is not something we brought out suddenly like a rabbit from a magic hat."

Article 370 of the Indian constitution gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

It limited the power of the Indian parliament to impose laws in the state, apart from matters of defense, foreign affairs and communications.

(With input from agencies)