Roots of insurgency in Indian Jammu and Kashmir- A review

This paper attempts to outline the various factors that culminated in a mass movement for Azadi(freedom) in the Indian part of Jammu and Kashmir in the year 1989. In explaining the insurgency movement, the essay attributes agency to two entities- the Indian state and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Forced integration of J&K into the Indian union, erosion of the autonomous status of the state, rigging of elections, misgovernance and lack of economic development, and political patronage are some of the reasons that hold the Indian state culpable for the present state of affairs. The second explanation grants agency to the people of Kashmir themselves. Resurgence of the Kashmiri identity due to a new found awareness resulting from exposure, literacy and limited development encouraged the mobilization of Kashmiris around the issue of their unique identity, distinct from ‘Kashmir as a part of Pakistan or India’.