Kashmir Conflict: Solutions and Demand for Self-determination

Besides being the longest unresolved dispute in the World, Kashmir is also a nuclear flash-point between two of South Asia’s enemy countries, India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers have several times engaged in fighting over the Kashmir region. Most Kashmiris, on the other hand have been fighting for their right of self-determination recognized by the UN for many decades. The promise made by the first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru which is also envisaged in the Instrument of Accession of 1947 to let Kashmiris decide their future through a Plebiscite still eludes Kashmir. In the past two decades, the region has been witness to a lot of violence which has also strained the relations between India and Pakistan. There have been several rounds of talks on Kashmir between governments of India and Pakistan. Sadly, there has not been any substantial positive outcome in resolving this dispute. The Kashmir dispute has been analyzed several times in terms of its impact, economical or political, on India, Pakistan and also Kashmir. An analysis through a Kashmiri point-of-view as to what the Kashmiris want and how the two decade long conflict has affected their resolve for self-determination makes for an interesting research. The data for this study was collected in Kashmir through a questionnaire survey. 166 questionnaires were collected from five main districts of J&K. Different possible solutions to the Kashmir conflict were presented to the respondents and their views were sought. This paper thus reports the results of this exercise and discusses the same in light of Kashmiris’ aspirations and realpolitik of south Asia.