Kashmir: Roots of Conflict and Paths to Peace

edited by Ashish Joshi

ISBN 10: 9385995359 / ISBN 13: 9789385995354

Published by Lenin Media, 2017

About this Item

The Kashmir dispute dates from 1947. The partition of the Indian sub-continent along religious lines led to the formation of India and Pakistan. However, there remained the problem of over 650 states, run by princes, existing within the two newly independent countries. In theory, these princely states had the option of deciding which country to join, or of remaining independent. In practice, the restive population of each province proved decisive. The United Nations and its member states have brokered peace in Kashmir since the beginning, and going forward, they will be called on to do the same. The UN mission on the ground, as well as the diplomats around the world, must continue to walk the tight line of limiting violence and encouraging human rights, while respecting Indian and Pakistani sovereignty. The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LOC). The conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay (Victory in Hindi) which was the name of the Indian operation to clear the Kargil sector. It is hoped that the book would be of great value to the researchers and students of defence studies and the common readers.

Seller Inventory # 123012

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Kashmir: Roots of Conflict and Paths to Peace
• Publisher: Lenin Media
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9385995359
• ISBN 13: 9789385995354
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In 2002, nuclear-armed adversaries India and Pakistan mobilized for war over the long-disputed territory of Kashmir, sparking panic around the world. Drawing on extensive firsthand experience in the contested region, Sumantra Bose reveals how the conflict became a grave threat to South Asia and the world and suggests feasible steps toward peace. Though the roots of conflict lie in the end of empire and the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, the contemporary problem owes more to subsequent developments, particularly the severe authoritarianism of Indian rule. Deadly dimensions have been added since 1990 with the rise of a Kashmiri independence movement and guerrilla war waged by Islamist groups. Bose explains the intricate mix of regional, ethnic, linguistic, religious, and caste communities that populate Kashmir, and emphasizes that a viable framework for peace must take into account the sovereignty concerns of India and Pakistan and popular aspirations to self-rule as well as conflicting loyalties within Kashmir. He calls for the establishment of inclusive, representative political structures in Indian Kashmir, and cross-border links between Indian and Pakistani Kashmir. Bose also invokes compelling comparisons to other cases, particularly the peace-building framework in Northern Ireland, which offers important lessons for a settlement in Kashmir. The Western world has not fully appreciated the desperate tragedy of between 1989 and 2003 violence claimed up to 80,000 lives. Informative, balanced, and accessible, Kashmir is vital reading for anyone wishing to understand one of the world's most dangerous conflicts.