Peace and Justice

13

Escalation in Kashmir

Hamida Nayeem

Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) was not a sudden outburst of religious frenzy as it has been projected by the dominant discourse, although religion has provided the basis for their (Kashmiri’s) demand for the right to self-determination by virtue of the underlying logic of the Partition of India (which doesn’t, however, mean that this right can be given only on the basis of religion). It is not a separatist movement as Kashmir was not part of the larger Indian Union even before 1947. Kashmir remained an independent principality from 1846 to 1947 under the Treaty of Amritsar. The unquestionable and eternal authority was cut short at the time of Indian Independence by India’s forcible occupation ...