Kashmir, from a vantage point

Amidst the nationwide sensation regarding the movie 'The Kashmir Files', the book in consideration brings a fresh air of unbiased history of Kashmir after a long hiatus. One particular thing that the book presents to its readers is the voice of the Kashmiris, irrespective of their religion, without any extra emotional overtones, but with hard facts. It is a holistic study of the history of Kashmir — from the eve of India's independence to the aftermath of the revocation of Article 370. A host of other literature and research reports have been published, and are being published, on Kashmir but this book is a remarkable exception in many aspects.

Introduction of the book deals with the Quit Kashmir Movement against Hari Singh and its brutal suppression through punitive measures against lakhs of Muslims; invasion of the Afghan tribesmen; Kunan Poshpora incident and Verghese report; and the Instrument of Accession signed on October 26, 1947. It gives a glimpse of the design of the study and how Pakistan-sponsored militants weakened the movement for Azadi. It includes a brief sketch of historiography.

In the next chapter, the author has brilliantly narrated the background of the conflict during the pre-independence era, the emergence of Sheikh Abdullah, and an organised resistance in Kashmir under his leadership, which is aptly described by the author as Kashmiri nationalism. The author has disclaimed calling the movement as a communal riot on the basis of evidence collected from myriad primary and secondary sources. He analyses how the Quit Kashmir movement was called off, and the National Conference conceded to in the proposed elections. The chapter depicts what role Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah, Patel and Menon played in Kashmir.

The next chapter deals with the issue of Kashmir's accession to India, and why the long-aspired and pre-committed plebiscite could not be materialised. In this chapter, the author has delineated several factors in detail, which were responsible for not holding the plebiscite, like the Poonch killing, role of RSS and Akali Dal in instigating communal strife, invasion of the Pathan tribesmen, etc. He has successfully shown how the question of right to self-determination of Kashmiris was converted to a matter of territorial occupation by India and Pakistan.

The next chapter analyses the situation under which Kashmir was integrated with India, the role of Sheikh Abdullah and Hari Singh, and the Delhi Agreement. It also shed light on the birth of the Article 370 that gave Kashmir a special status. The chapter describes the role of the Communist Party and Shyama Prasad Mookherjee's stand on the Kashmir issue. After dealing with the new Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, the author moves to evaluating Nehru's role, and concludes that Nehru, despite having erudite stature, secured Kashmir at the cost of democratic rights of the Kashmiris. It goes on to discuss Pakistan's attempt to "liberate" Kashmir, Indira Gandhi's stand on Kashmir, elections in Kashmir and the role of Congress, freedom of Bangladesh, and finally, how Sheikh Abdullah abandoned his demand of Azad Kashmir by giving his nod to the Delhi Accord.

The next chapter talks about the failure of the subsequent rulers of Kashmir in dousing the flames of anger after the demise of Sheikh Abdullah. The author has documented his interview with Yasin Malik, the well-known leader of Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front, and showed how a series of events gradually prepared the ground for mass insurgency and subsequent

gratuitous violence in the 1980s and 90s. He has tried to keep record of all the major terrorist acts and political murders starting from 1988 to date, which is a laborious, if not an outstanding, task.

The next chapter deals with the burning question of insurgency and the eroding human rights of the Kashmiris. This chapter focuses on the predicaments of Hindu Pundits against whom brutal atrocities were perpetrated. Taking references from other sources, the author concludes with his own findings, stating that the incidents of atrocities were heavily publicised and exaggerated. With the help of published statistical data, the author has firmly established the fact that the exodus of Kashmiri Pundits is politically coloured and propagandised. He did not even hesitate to unravel the truth that the Muslim victims outnumbered the Pundits.

The next two chapters talk about the draconian laws that leave no stone unturned to curb the human rights of Kashmiris, and the state-sponsored counter insurgency measures, respectively. The last two chapters deal with the crisis in the valley during 1997 to 2000, and from 2011 to 2018, respectively. During the first phase, a lot of significant incidents took place, such as the Kargil War, Assembly elections of 2002, Shrine Controversy of 2008 and the fake encounter crisis of 2010, which have been outlined with utmost care and expertise. During the second phase, the author has provided a fair share of nitty-gritties of the execution of Afzal Guru and the unfortunate killing of Burhan Wani. These two case studies have lent the book a unique place in the world of literature on Kashmir.

Lastly, the book ends with the controversial question of the origin, erosion and abrogation of Article 370, and the role of the present government and the ruling party. The Postscript does not conceal the disappointment as the Kashmir problem remains far away from any appropriate solution.

The book undoubtedly contributes a great deal to the existing knowledge regarding the Kashmir issue from historical perspective, and definitely impartially. Each and every line of the book bears valuable information and, thus, is very interesting and engaging to read. It has, however, some lacunae. For example, the author has taken personal interviews, but it is not clear whether he has ever visited Kashmir or done field work, as the Kashmir question is still a burning issue. The condition of women could have been written in detail. There are some technical mistakes as well. The chapters are not numbered and, thereby, the content looks disarranged. Some of the illustrations have been repetitively mentioned, like the full form of JKLF (p. 107 to 110 and many more). The author said that the Kargil conflict displaced about 30,000 people but did not mention the source of this data (p. 185). On page 215, the financial compensation should have been figured in Indian rupees, not in dollars.

All the above-mentioned shortcomings can be avoided as the book certainly gives the reader the taste of a neutral history of Kashmir in a lucid way, and recognises the Kashmiri sentiments which have been neglected since the ages.

The writer is Assistant Professor, Department of History, Maharaja Srischandra College, Kolkata. Views expressed are personal