Independent Kashmir : an incomplete aspiration / Christopher Snedden.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Snedden, Christopher, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jammu and Kashmir (India)--Autonomy and independence movements.

Jammu and Kashmir (India).

Jammu and Kashmir (India)--Boundaries.

Jammu and Kashmir (India)--Foreign relations--India.

Jammu and Kashmir (India)--Foreign relations--Pakistan.

Jammu and Kashmir (India)--Public opinion.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : digital file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Manchester, UK : Manchester University Press, 2021.

Language Note:

In English.

System Details:

data file

Summary:

The desire for an independent Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is an old aspiration. After being independent for 72 days in 1947, J&K's ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, and the state's leading politician, Sheikh Abdullah, wanted this international status to continue for J&K. While neither had the acumen, nor, in Abdullah's case, the physical freedom, to pursue independence, the aspiration remained alive. In 1988, disenchanted Kashmiri Muslims instigated an anti-India uprising seeking azadi (independence; freedom) for Kashmir. However, in a rare India-Pakistan agreement, they concur that neither J&K, nor any part of it, can be independent. Nevertheless, the aspiration continues. Independent Kashmir examines what Singh, Abdullah and Kashmiris have done to secure independence for J&K or for their region in this disputed entity. In doing so, it provides a focused, in-depth history of J&K from around the mid-1920s to the present.

"This book examines the topic of an independent 'Kashmir' and why this political aspiration to be self-governing and free from coerced subordination to another nation remains unsatisfied. It focuses on how Maharaja Hari Singh, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and Muslim Kashmiris have each envisioned or sought independence for Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), or for their particular region within this disputed entity. Hari Singh and Sheikh Abdullah were the two most significant figures in J&K in the twentieth century. They also were political rivals united briefly in 1947 by not wanting J&K to join Pakistan and by an indecisive desire for an independent J&K. After acceding to India, Singh quickly became redundant. Through a tumultuous political career, Abdullah strove for independence or maximum autonomy for J&K. In 1988, disenchanted Muslim Kashmiris surprisingly began a violent anti-India uprising seeking azadi (independence; freedom) for their region or for it to join Pakistan. Kashmiris remain severely disgruntled and this insurgency continues to pose challenges for India. By concentrating on these two men and this insurgency, this book provides a focused, in-depth history of J&K from the mid-1920s, when Hari Singh became J&K's ruler, to the present time, when many Kashmiris still crave azadi from India. While an 'independent Kashmir' is a long envisioned aspiration, this book concludes that it is likely to remain incomplete while India and Pakistan exist in their current structures, while India is strong and unified, and while Kashmiris are disunified and uncertain about what status they want for their homelands" -- Back cover.

Contents:

Introduction

1. Decolonisation and the departure of the British from India

2. Maharaja Hari Singh and his accession issue

3. The significance of Kashmir and Kashmiri identity in J&K

4. The rise of Kashmiri aspirations, 1924-475 Sheikh Abdullah's pursuit of independence for 'Kashmir', 1946-53

6. Sheikh Abdullah's pursuit of independence for 'Kashmir', post 1953

7. Kashmiris and independence since 1988

Conclusion: to be independent, or not to be independent? That is the question

Appendix I: Comparison of J&K with other entities

Appendix II: Kashmir Valley Muslims in J&K and their numerical dominance

Appendix III: Border or territorial changes, actual or attempted, in South Asia since 15 August 1947

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on pre-publication data; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9781526156167

1526156164

OCLC:

1262018992