Himanshu Rai’s Reviews > Kashmirnama > Status Update

Bit rushed in the end...

Journey from 1977 to 1987 is filled with series of the wrong decisions of the leadership: Farukh, Indira and Rajiv. Instead of treading carefully, democracy crashed due to rigged elections.

Both Pakistan and India have propagated the myth that their nation-building is incomplete without full control over Kashmir. Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 led to a stalemate and a formal ceasefire was declared effective 1 January 1949.

It’s important to remember that community organizing is not just a mechanism for opposition—it’s fundamentally a democratic process. Sheik Abdullah and Nehru were champion of mobilizing the communities in the secular framework. The vicious cycle of violence and conflict started from 1947. But the foundation was laid a long before.

All governments, democratic as well as authoritarian, tend in time towards the Augean stables. They need regular cleaning out. But the cleaning is rarely at moments of their choosing, and the effort can be Herculean. Democracy relied on the public opinion of Kashmiri people led to the rise of Shaikh Abdullah.

All governments, democratic as well as authoritarian, tend in time towards the Augean stables. They need regular cleaning out. But the cleaning is rarely at moments of their choosing, and the effort can be Herculean. Democracy relied on the public opinion of Kashmiri people led to the rise of Shaikh Abdullah.

After being ruled by the Mughals, the Sikhs and eventually the British, Kashmir finally comes under the Dogra dynasty. This era was beginning of the covet transfer of power from Dogra to Britishers.

Political economy and welfare of the people is heavly dependent on the Kings law and it's implementation.

Coercive political institutions led to the higher taxation of the Kashmiri public under the Dogra regime. Dogra kingdom professed loyalty to the Britishers during the 1857 revolt and the rise of the British era in India is inseparable from such Kingdoms. One is not possible without the other.