How can we solve kashmir problem

Happymon Jacob is an associate professor of diplomacy and disarmament at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. He is a columnist with The Hindu, hosts a weekly show on national security at The Wire.

Type: Podcast. Global Policy. The event marked a milestone for the group, which started as an ad hoc coordination mechanism for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief after the Indian Ocean tsunami. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been facing daily difficulties including a lack of telephone and internet communications, and reduced access to goods and medical care.

An overwhelming feeling of anger and despair hangs in the air. Perhaps even more worrying than the humanitarian challenges, is the prospect of the conflict over the disputed territory of Kashmir never being resolved. While acknowledging the suffering, we need to find a way out of this situation, and that is to deal with the roots of the problem and involve rather than exclude Kashmiri voices.

Responsibility for this conflict is shared between all relevant parties, but a way out fundamentally starts with the people who are at the centre of it all. We have been working for the past decade, with a network of brave, committed Kashmiris who are striving for a more peaceful future. The patient and persistent efforts made by these courageous individuals have brought people together across regional, religious and ethnic divides.

Their work to connect people and build confidence between different sides, celebrates the rich cultural diversity of the Jammu and Kashmir region, but also respects and protects the interests of India and Pakistan. Without forcing people to submit to a singular political aspiration, this work has enabled people to visualise realistic and interdependent possibilities of a shared future.

In doing so, they have created relationships that have weathered the ups and downs of Indo-Pak relations, and have developed initiatives such as trade across the Line of Control , and collaboration between journalists , business people and academics from both sides of the divide, that have built confidence and hope, even at moments of the most heightened tensions.

Bridges have been built over many years, amongst people on either side as well as across the divide. They are a way of meeting the challenges that arise and can provide a way out of the current crisis. Before the partition, Kashmir had approximately 4 million people. Even before the time of the partition, there was a rising movement against the ruler. However, later on, the Conference lost its steam and lost a majority of its followers, causing Abdullah to embrace secularism. Abdullah remained a prominent leader.

Later on, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the future prime minister of Pakistan, and Abdullah became fierce adversaries. This relationship with Jinnah led him to become an ally of the Indian leaders. After the partition of India and Pakistan, Kashmir signed a standstill agreement with both the nations while they decided their fate.

However, with the Pakistani tribesmen attacking India, Abdullah, as a representative to the Maharaja, went to India and sought its help, leading to Kashmir being ceded to India. Before the invasion, the situation in Kashmir was ambivalent. However, there were also those who willed to go to either India or Pakistan. Later on, in , Abdullah was arrested for trying to create an independent Kashmir and having clandestine meetings with foreign powers. But peace did not ensue. There are also reports that indicate that many of the Kashmiri officials had become corrupt.

In , Pakistan invaded Kashmir, following a military coup that overthrew the democratic government. The result of this was the rise of anti-Pakistan feelings in Kashmir.

By this time, Kashmiri leaders seemed to have changed their tune, with many contents with their accession to India. Beginning in , there was a rapid Islamization of Kashmir. Names of cities were changed and propaganda was spread. This was the beginning of the violence in the region. The first large-scale act of violence was the exodus of the Kashmiri Hindus [20]. Thousands of Kashmiri Hindus were killed and forced to flee by Muslim mobs and Hindu temples were destroyed.

Before this exodus, there were about , Hindus living in the region. By the end of it, there were only around to remaining. There was a spread of radical Islam, where violence was encouraged against those of other religions. Children were recruited by insurgency groups and trained in violence. People were encouraged to sell their belongings in order to finance the purchases of weapons.

Thus, began the coming decades of violence and propaganda led by insurgency groups. Since then, the violence and bloodshed in this region have only continued. Insurgent groups, terrorist organizations, Pakistani forces and Indian forces have constantly found themselves in conflict, leading to the deaths of thousands.

As a result, there has been a significant increase in the number of military personnel and equipment in the region. There has also been a steady rise in domestic terrorism. On the other hand, this combination of military personnel, insurgents and terrorists have resulted in human rights violations.

Allegations have included the suppression of freedom of speech mass homicides, kidnappings, torture and sexual violence amongst others. The accused have included insurgent and terrorist groups, the Pakistani military, and the Indian military. More recently, the Indian government had completely cut off all means of communications and detained political leaders as a preemptive move to maintain law and order after the amendment of article explained in more detail in the following section.

While the Indian government claims to have done it for the preservation of peace, many have criticized this as a violation of human rights. In fact, internet services were cut for days. International and domestic actors including organizations like Amnesty International have called for an end of human rights abuses in Kashmir [22]. At the moment, it is safe to say, the Kashmiri people are tired of the decades of conflict and violence [23]. On one hand, there are constant attacks by insurgent groups and terrorist organizations.

On the other, there is an increased presence of military troops. There are reports of human rights violations by these troops. The Kashmiri people want an end to this constant violence by all the groups present. Increasingly, more Kashmiris are in support of the referendum that was supposed to have taken place during the partition.

Additionally, there is an increasing number of people in support of an independent Kashmir. Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan based terrorist group. India blamed Pakistan to be responsible for the attack. However, Pakistan denied any involvement with the attack [24]. Immediately, tensions flared between the two countries. In response to the attack, Indian fighter jets crossed the border and bombed the alleged Jaish-E-Mohammed bases in the Pakistani town of Balakot.

Pakistan retaliated by conducting an airstrike on India, but there were no casualties. During a dogfight, an Indian fighter plane was shot down and the pilot who landed in Pakistan was captured. The world was at its edge, and the two nations were at the brink of war. However, after negotiations, the tensions were eased and the pilot was returned to India.

Article was intended to be a temporary provision that gave the state of Jammu and Kashmir a special status. According to this, Jammu and Kashmir were allowed a certain degree of autonomy [26]. Jammu and Kashmir was allowed to have its own constitution, the ability to create its own laws and its own flag. However, the government of India would have control over matters such as defense and foreign affairs. Due to this, Indians from other states were not allowed to buy land or settle in this state.

Additionally, if a woman marries someone from an outside state, she loses her property rights. The Modi government argued that this was intended to be a temporary provision and that it has been seven decades since. They also claimed that the article is discriminatory in nature and that it hindered development. Consequently, after returning for a second term, Modi amended this article. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has now lost its special rights.

However, this move was largely controversial. Anticipating intense reactions to this and citing the perseveration of law and order, the Indian government mobilized large numbers of military personnel into the region. Communication systems such as the internet were cut off.

The chief minister of the state and other prominent political leaders were detained preemptively. News agencies were curfewed and the entire region was under lockdown. Human rights groups have criticized these moves as human rights violations. Pakistan strongly condemned this decision and said that it will exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps.

Moreover, this move served to strain the already strained relation with Kashmir. Many Kashmiris were enraged by the restrictions placed on them, leading to more anti-India sentiments. But, the international response to this move was largely favorable to India. Many nations expressed their support and remarked that this was a situation of India dealing with its internal matters.

Both India and Pakistan strongly believe that Kashmir rightfully belongs to them. Additionally, Kashmir is incredibly valuable to both nations. It is hard to imagine, that either country would willingly surrender Kashmir.

It is certain that thousands of Kashmiris and soldiers have faced and continue to face atrocities. There are also reports of human rights violations in the region.

In both Pakistan and India there is increasing sympathy for the Kashmiris. However, at the current moment, there is little hope for change in this region. Of late, India has gained a lot of international support as well. Rapidly growing as an economy and as a military power, India has become a desirable ally and trade partner for many.

We can look to the amendment of Article as an example of this. We can speculate that going forward this international support will only continue. India faces little international pressure to renegotiate the terms of Kashmir with Pakistan. Pakistan on the other hand was under scrutiny. Multiple nations have called for Pakistan to withdraw its support of terrorist activities and funding terrorist organizations. Pakistan certainly faces the brunt of international scrutiny in this matter.

India has little reason to withdraw from this conflict.