The Untold Story of the People of Azad Kashmir
Format:Hardback
Publisher:C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Published:15th May '12
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Azad (Free) Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)) is that part of Kashmir within Pakistan, separated by a Line of Control from Indian territory. This book is a rarity: it offers a fresh interpretive history of the largely forgotten four million people of Azad Kashmir. The author contends that in October 1947, pro-Pakistan Muslims in south-western J&K instigated the Kashmir dispute-not Pashtun tribesmen invading from Pakistan, as India has consistently claimed. Later called Azad Kashmiris, these people, Snedden argues, are legitimate stakeholders in an unresolved dispute. He provides comprehensive new information that critically examines Azad Kashmir's administration, economy, political system, and its subordinate relationship with Pakistan. Azad Kashmiris considered their administration to be the only legitimate government in J&K and expected that it would rule after J&K was re-unified by a UN-supervised plebiscite. This poll has never been conducted and Azad Kashmir has effectively, if not yet legally, become a (dependent) part of Pakistan. Long disenchanted with Islamabad, some Azad Kashmiris now favour independence for J&K, hoping that they may survive and prosper without recourse to either of their bigger neighbours. Snedden concludes his book by assessing the various proposals to resolve Azad Kashmir's international status and the broader Kashmir dispute.
'Christopher Snedden's masterful historical narrative of the events surrounding the birth and development of Azad Kashmir gives us, at last, a thoroughly-researched study of this largely neglected but vastly important dimension of the Kashmir dispute. Provocative in its arguments, sound in its scholarship, and fascinating in its details, this is a truly welcome addition to the literature on one of the world's most intractable disputes.' * Robert G. Wirsing, Visiting Professor, Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service at Qatar *
'This is a gripping and compelling read. Azad Kashmir has largely been out of focus in discussions of the broader Kashmir conflict, particularly in international discourse. Few people have devoted much time and energy to bringing into focus the ground realities, contemporary issues and context of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. This book will fill the gap, as well as provide a lead for Azad Kashmiri writers to supply the missing native perspective on Azad Kashmir.' * Ershad Mahmud, author and analyst from Rawalakot-Azad Kashmir *
'Focusing on the Poonch rebellion, this book highlights an important facet of developments in Jammu and Kashmir prior to its accession to India and fills the vacuum in scholarship on politics in "Azad Kashmir." A valuable resource for academics and policy makers alike.' * Smruti S Pattanaik, South Asia Specialist at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Delhi *
ISBN: 9781849041508
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
384 pages