The Kashmir Conflict: Multiple Fault Lines

Abstract

The Kashmir conflict has acquired a multifaceted character. On the one hand, it involves national and territorial contestations between India and Pakistan and on the other, various political demands by religious, linguistic, regional and ethnic groups in both parts of the divided Kashmir that range from seeking affirmative discrimination, a separate political status within the state, to outright secession. Peace has eluded Kashmir so far because a state-centric peace process is at odds with its plural social realities and multiple fault lines. The article identifies the key challenges for the peace process that includes extending its outreach to all the local stakeholders in a multi-layered dialogue with a mandate to evolve political and institutional processes and mechanisms for addressing different—if not divergent—aspirations of its diverse communities, without undermining the plural character of its society. The prognosis in the foreseeable future entails a roller-coaster ride with no clear endgame in sight.