Political Violence and Peacebuilding in Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

When violence is prolonged, it becomes part of life. Kashmir – once known as a ‘Paradise on earth’– now symbolizes a conglomerate of human errors that have spewed more than a decade of violence, eroding the ethos of a state known for its peace-loving, artistic and intellectual populace. This chapter traces the erosion of a community by understanding the development of political violence in Kashmir. In short, the conflict ‘of’ Kashmir (originally a dispute between India and Pakistan) has been replaced by the conflict ‘in’ Kashmir (a conflict within the territorial space of India). The conflict ‘in’ Kashmir has gone through several stages since 1989 and has developed into a violent-insurgency movement. Besides the loss of life and livelihood, the other casualty of the conflict has been the loss of trust and values of coexistence that are essential for the survival of any community. The chapter further focuses on social aspects of violent conflict, conflict intervention and peacemaking as the strategy of nonviolence and finally highlights peacebuilding activities. While a peace process holds out the prospect of reducing the costs of an ongoing conflict, it is in the realm of humanitarian benefits that peace processes can have the most impact. Peacebuilding activities are currently taking place in Kashmir, but its sustenance depends on changing people’s perceptions, collective actions, trust building, reconciliation and due recognition of nonviolent means of effecting change.