The Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir is one of the most incandescent flash-points in the Indian sub-continent, the only Princely-State whose integration with either of the successor states-India and Pakistan--evoked substantive controversy and substantial amount of analytical and polemical literature, The people of this state and their political preferences and perception have, however, remained under the veil of chronicles of diplomatc controversies, militant incursions and terrorist activities. This book turns the academic search-light inwards and focusses on the bases and causes of alienation which sets Jammu and Kashmir apart from all other states of the Republic of India.
From militantly resisting the two nation theory circa 1947 the people of Jammu and Kashmir have now turned to politically sustaining an insurgency which has claimed nearly 17,000 lives during 1989 to 1996 including 7849 civilians and 7823 militants. What caused this turn-around in the perceptions of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This book tries to answer this question with the help of detailed data about the economy and society of Jammu and Kashmir and in-depth investigation into the political process which rather than integrating the people of Jammu and Kashmir accentuated their alienation from a democratic India, which is otherwise known as a shining example of multi-party governance in a multi-ethnic society.
All those interested in political analysis, policy making and crisis management of people's alienation in modern states would find the book useful as it brings together a mass of data and information about a strife-torn region of South Asia and throws light on many 'don't dos' which have engendered militant political discontent inspite massive economic grants and subsidies. |
