The Kashmir Conundrum: Past, Present, and Future

This chapter discusses three primary transitions in the Kashmir issue over the last seventy years. Initially viewed as an international dispute, the United Nations recommended a plebiscite under the pretext of national self-determination; however, the international community shelved the issue following a war in 1971 between India and Pakistan when a bilateral solution between the two nations was supported. A militant struggle followed, and this deadly sway persists today. The chapter discusses how the pursuance of the issue as a bilateral dispute has left Kashmir hostage to the regional security calculus of India and Pakistan. In August 2019, India unilaterally stripped Kashmir of its special status, evidencing the failure of the international community to advocate and support a Kashmir-led approach to resolving the conflict.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

1. Freire University, Berlin, Germany Javaid Hayat
2. Quaid i Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan Raja Qaiser Ahmed

1. Javaid Hayat