Efforts to develop warmer relations between South Asia¿s two nuclear powers, India and Pakistan, will not succeed unless political violence in Kashmir is reduced. One of the key factors sustaining that violence is the dearth of economic opportunities, which ensures a steady supply of disaffected recruits to terrorists and militant groups. This report sketches the turbulent history of Kashmir from its division in 1947 through the revolt of 1989-90 to 2003, and then explores the economic dimensions of the conflict and the opportunities for peacebuilding. The governments of India and Pakistan, together with political leaders in Kashmir, must take the lead in promoting economic dev¿t., but they require the assistance of internat. financial institutions and of the U.S.

The demand of State autonomy has remained a highly contentious issue in Indian Politics right since the time when accession of Kashmir to the Indian federalism took place. This is a demand that often generate tension between Center and the State. It is felt that the autonomy for the State may actually come to mean autonomy for Kashmir region only. It may not flow to the regional and sub-regional levels. The autonomy that extends beyond the State needs a multi-layered package of autonomy that extends beyond the State to the regional or sub-regional levels. Autonomy is needed to inspire confidence to the people, to make the system more democratic, to ensure speedier and balanced development and to make the administration accountable to the people and thus more efficient and above all, to evolve a composite and harmonious personality of the State. None of these can be achiever in the present unitary system of the state and by centralization of power and administration. A more federalized and bottom-up approach is needed to solve the problem of the State. This book is an attempt to examine the relationship of Kashmir identity with the Indian Union, the regional identity of Jammu and Ladakh with the State. This book on the one hand is the description of the relationship between the Centre and the State and on the other hand is the description of relationship between the three regions, namely Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. My prescription is deeply federal and decentralizing in nature.

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the complex conflict situation in Kashmir. Through an internal perspective, it charts the shift in the Kashmiri response towards the Centre and offers a detailed examination of the background in which separatist politics took roots in Kashmir, and the way it changed its nature in the militancy and post-militancy period. The volume shows how separatism and armed militancy, as manifest in the Valley in the late 1980s, (though augmented by external factors) have been internal responses to the changing nature of Kashmiri identity politics. It explores how the ideas central to Indian nationalist politics — especially democracy and secularism — echoed in Kashmir and were instrumental in dismantling the feudal structure and negotiating an autonomous space within the framework of asymmetrical federalism. Seamlessly blending facts and incisive analyses, this book raises new questions about the nature of conflict and contestation in the region. It will be of great interest to researchers and scholars of Indian politics, especially on Jammu and Kashmir, and sociology, as well as government bodies, think tanks and the interested general reader.

After Reducing The Paradise On Earth , Kashmir, To A Virtual Hell, The Islamic Ter¬Rorists Have Extended Their Death And De¬Struction To Doda District Of Jammu Divi¬Sion Of The Jammu & Kashmir State. Local Press Of The Valley, With A Few Honourable Exceptions, Totally Surrendered To The Dic¬Tates Of The Terrorists. They Not Only Con-Doned But Also Defended The Heinous Crimes Like Loot, Arson, Rape And Murder Commit¬Ted By The So Called Islamic Mujahids. The Brunt Of The Fundamentalists' Senseless Fury Was Borne By The Peaceful And Defenceless Pandit Minority Of The Valley. More Than Quarter Million Members Of This Commu¬Nity Men, Women And Children Had To Flee Their Home And Hearth To Save Their Life And Honour. Un-Islamic Mujahids, Did Not Spare Even Their Muslim Co-Religionists, Who Were Killed Because They Were The Political Activists Of Major Political Parties. Even They Had To Seek Refuge, In Thou¬Sands, In Other Parts Of India.This And Many Other Aspects Of The Ter¬Rorism/Militancy In The Jammu & Kash¬Mir State Its Birth And Rise, Economic And Political Factors, Role Of Pakistan In Sustain¬Ing It, The Dithering Policy Of The Central Government, The Biased Attitude Of The So-Called Human Rights Organisations Vis-A¬Vis The Terrorists' Activities, Rigged Elec¬Tions, Controvertial Article 370, Autonomy, Burning Of Soofi Saint Sheikh Nur-Ud-Din'S Chrari Sharief Shrine And 'Azadi' Etc. Have Been Analysed In Depth In This Book By The Journalists And Scholars, Many Of Whom Have Not Only Themselves Been The Victims Of Terrorism, But Have Also Closely Watched From The Ring Side, The Jammu & Kashmir Affairs Since Its Accession To India In 1947.The Collection Of Articles In The Form Of This Book Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh: Ringside Views, Imparts It The Character Of The Reference Material. Otherwise, They Would Remain Scattered In The Newspa¬Pers, And Perhaps Out Of Reach Too.These Words From The Preface Of The Book, Succinctly, Bring Forth The Essense Of This Book: This Book Is A Collection Of Articles And Commentaries On The Trauma Of Kashmir (And Jammu) By Some Distin-' Guished Writers, Scholars, Journalists And Political Commentators.... (They) Have Been Witnesses Of The Agony Of Kashmir.... The Articles Deal Not Only With Political Issues, But Also The Emotional, Social And Psycho¬Logical Fallout Of The Turmoil That Is Gnaw¬Ing At The Roots Of Kashmir'S Ancient Ethos.