Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory in northern India. It comprises two major regions: Jammu and the Kashmir Valley. A third region, Ladakh, along with Jammu and Kashmir, was a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir until 2019. After the abrogation of Article 370, the state was broken into two: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The region is known for breathtaking landscapes with a history going back to the Indus Valley Civilization, with evidence of various empires — Gandhara, Mauryan, Kushan, Gupta, Mughal, and Dogra — ruling the area.
The region has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan since its 1947 accession to India. The two countries fought a war that resulted in the establishment of the Line of Control (LoC) and divided the region into Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Both Pakistan and China lay claims to parts of Indian-administered Kashmir and Ladakh.
The region has faced decades of insurgency, particularly since the 1980s, fueled by political alienation, human rights concerns, and economic disparities, leading to a cycle of violence and counterinsurgency operations.
In 2024, elections were held in the region after nearly a decade, restoring an elected government. Omar Abdullah took office as Chief Minister, while Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha continues to serve as the Centre’s representative, overseeing administrative affairs.
more micro management is needed. why can’t there be task force or combing operations to hunt down who organize pelting, allow mosque loudpeakers to be misused, keep sacks of stones? sacks of stones should have a law. Only recognized/registered construction work agents who have police certificates should be allowed to keep these in a disturbed area subject to monitoring.
In short, better policing by JK police and crpf , rather than brute force, is needed.
As we get to a more connected world with more Muslims joining the niddle and educated classes the prospect of a different kind of insurgency AKA a liberation movement looms in the valley.
This will be an insurgence under the control and idealogical doctrine, which is independent and indigenous. This intelligencia led nationalism will be the flag bearer of a new Kashmiri nationalism. This type of nationalism cannot be erased from the Kashmiri, it would involve the transportation of entire populations to quell as Stalin did for certain nationalities in the Soviet Union.
This is not possible in a democratic dispensation, however much flawed, such as India.
Therefore the Indian State should act fast, massive amounts need to be spent on the development of the valley, in jobs autonomy and self governance, to create a large body of vested interests in the population who recognise that only with India they will prosper.
We will in the next five years reach a point of no return in the valley and no amount of force will be able the keep a people’s movement down, India must learn from what past history worldwide has taught other countries, about people’s struggles for their aspirations and its invetible outcome.
While it is absolutely true without the people of J&k,keeping a piece of land with India has no meaning but what baffles the most is only children of poor innocent families are being pushed for stone throwing on forces, while children of leaders spearheading the sepertive movement are sitting in the safe cocina of their houses& setting have nots to die. Very update movement
We will hunt down the last terrorist – I prefer the term militant, although even that may be too harsh – is what a senior personage had said a few months back on Off the Cuff. That approach is leading us into a cul de sac. May the sunmer of 2019 lead to a completely different way of looking at Kashmir and its people. Twenty month old baby girls – my Ananya’s age – should not be getting hit with pellets in the eye.