In 1846, the British created the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) - popularly called "Kashmir" - and then quickly sold this prized region to the wily and powerful Raja, Gulab Singh. Intriguingly, had they retained it, the India-Pakistan dispute over possession of the state may never have arisen, but Britain's concerns lay elsewhere -- expansionist Russia, beguiling Tibet and unstable China "circling" J&K -- and their agents played the 'Great Game' in Afghanistan and 'Turkistan'. Snedden contextualizes the geo-strategic and historical circumstances surrounding the British decision to relinquish prestigious 'Kashmir', and explains how they and four Dogra maharajas consolidated and controlled J&K subsequently. He details what comprised this diverse princely state with distant borders and disunified peoples and explains the Maharaja of J&K's controversial accession to India on 26 October 1947 - and its unintended consequences. Snedden weaves a compelling narrative that frames the Kashmir dispute, explains why it continues, and assesses what it means politically and administratively for the divided peoples of J&K and their undecided futures.

This book examines the complex political structures of Pakistan and India that determine both the Kashmir conflict and the geostrategic environment underpinning it. Providing comprehensive knowledge on both historical and contemporary dynamics of Indo-Pakistani policies and relations, this book combines a brief history of the Kashmir conflict with thorough politological analysis. Analyses range from strategic dynamics in the aftermath of bifurcation of Indian-administered Kashmir, to ideologically motivated and state-led narratives, security dilemmas, regional and geopolitical dynamics. The book ultimately aims to investigates which policies India and Pakistan develop vis-à-vis the territories of former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir (PSJ&K) in a balanced and impartial manner. While placing the subject against the backdrop of Pakistan’s and India’s domestic and international policies, this book emphasises why Kashmir is so important to both countries and how it is manifested in their policies. Kashmir in India and Pakistan policies will appeal to students and scholars of peace and conflict studies, international relations, political science, and South Asian studies. Chapter 9 of this book is available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.