Kashmir

But Also…

Line of Control

Next Five Classes

• Today: A series of different perspectives to introduce contemporary issues in Kashmir– 5 from SEMINAR one from a newsmagazine

– About Seminar

• Tuesday: More in-depth analysis• Next Thu-Tue: Basharat Peer’s Book• Last Class: Discuss Haider– By this time you should not only have seen Haider, and

completed readings, but made significant headway into your paper, so that you can ask the questions you need to analyze the film in your final paper.

Today’s Readings• “The Problem” Overview• Padgaonkar respected journalist and former editor

of largest English daily newspaper, part of civil society group advocating for peace and justice

• Rahul Pandita, Hindu Kashmiri “Pandit.” Award-winning journalist bringing his community’s voice into the picture

• Arundhati Roy Novelist and well-known environmental and social issues activist. Defends call for independence, but also asks important questions

Themes for Today

• STATE and ANTI State Activists• AZAADI (freedom)• People

State and Anti State Activists

• Historical Background • Role of the Indian State•Laws and role of Armed Forces•Elections

• Anti State Activists•Major Players and their evolution

Historical Evolution of a Political Crisis• Kashmir history and timeline• Accession• Ambivalence of Sheikh Abdullah– Many meanings of Kashmiriyat

• Arrests, interference, and unfree elections (1987 particularly important)

• Start of active anti-India insurgency• Kashmiriyat to Azaadi• JKLF/JKNLF Initially Secular – Maqbool Bhatt

• Gives way to less secular and more religiously inspired movements (see Roy essay)

Indian State’s Reactions• Article 370 of the Indian Constitution grants

“temporary” autonomy to J&K• Kashmiri Constitution accepts it as part of India• Line of Control, aka LoC: defacto border

between India and Pakistan in Kashmir. West of LoC are Gilgit–Baltistan and Azad Kashmir (AJK)

• AFSPA in Kashmir (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) Used against a variety of separatist movements, in NE India and Kashmir. PSA and other similar laws

AFSPA/PSA allow, among other things

• Soldiers to “Fire upon or use other kinds of force even if it causes death, against the person who is acting against law or order in the disturbed area for the maintenance of public order,

• To arrest without a warrant anyone who has committed cognizable offences or is reasonably suspected of having done so and may use force if needed for the arrest.

• To enter and search any premise in order to make such arrests, or to recover any person wrongfully restrained or any arms, ammunition or explosive substances and seize it.

• Stop and search any vehicle or vessel reasonably suspected to be carrying such person or weapons.

• Army officers to have have legal immunity for their actions. There can be no prosecution, suit or any other legal proceeding against anyone acting under that law. Nor is the government's judgment on why an area is found to be disturbed subject to judicial review.

AFSPAHistory of AFSPA

Political Parties Important in Kashmir

• National Conference (NC)• People’s Democratic Party (PDP)• INC• BJP • 2014 saw Assembly Elections. High turnout (65%)

despite boycott call by Hurriyat• BJP won Jammu. PDP (majority) and NC win

Kashmir Valley• 2015 coalition government of BJP & PDP

Azaadi: Separatist Groups • JKLF (now with two factions, Yasin Malik

renounce violence in 1995, participate in political process. Farooq Papa faction did not).

• All Parties HURRIYAT Conference. Coalition of various separatist groups. Also two major factions, roughly = Geelani (pro integration with Pakistan) and Mirwaiz (independence)

• Terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, have strong support from Pakistan

People: Overdetermined by the Political ?

• Padgaonkar’s term: What does it mean?• Focus on differences between three regions,

Jammu, Kashmir Valley, and Ladakh• Also minority groups such as Gujjars, Gaddis

and other pastoralists• Call for devolution of power, from Srinagar to

regions or even localities.

Kashmiri Pandits• Distinct from Hindus of Jammu• Long history in Kashmir Valley. • Powerful under Dogras and did well under the British• Important figures in Nehru and Indira era were

Pandits• Rise of Islamic Militancy in the 1990s drove about

100,000 Pandits into exile from homes• See extract from Pandita’s book. Can the personal be

told without being “overdetermined by the political”?– But then see Harsh Sethi’s review of the book

Kashmiri Muslims

• Major Sufi (mystical tradition) on Islam in Kashmir• Differences between more Wahabi influenced

militants and the local variants of Islam• Despite an element of romanticization, there

were close connections between Hindus and Muslims in Kashmir. Shared tribal names such as “Dar” or “Bhat” e.g.

• But, over time, closer identification of Azaadi and Islam (See Roy essay)

Azaadi and Common People

• Roy and Kaul both show how politics does “overdetermine” identity in contemporary Kashmir

• Kaul on differences between Indian and Kashmiri youth

• Roy on how a small issue (Amarnath yatra) escalates into major conflict

Wither Now?

• 2014 Assembly Elections• Role of Pakistan• BJP in Delhi• Roy “India needs azadi from Kashmir just as

much – if not more – than Kashmir needs Azadi from India

Haider and Kashmir

• All readings show why it is a big deal for a commercial filmmaker, investing millions on such a project, to make a film on Kashmir that questions mainstream Indian views on the subject

• Kaul essay in particular is important to understand the context for Kashmiri youth