The political economy of Kashmir since 1947

Abstract

Kashmir remains an unresolved legacy from the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947. What began as a territorial dispute over a princely state that borders India and Pakistan, has evolved into a highly politicized conflict that has taken on multiple dimensions. Factors such as the supply of arms from Pakistan, the Indian government's policies and subsequent human rights abuses have become more closely inter-twined as the conflict has unravelled. Discourse on Kashmir has been polarized either in favour of secession from India, or in support of a union with India. However the nature of state intervention within Kashmir over the past 50 years is a critical missing link within academic discourse. A holistic analysis requires careful disentanglement from the evidence and a conclusion that is not biased to any one piece of the puzzle. Of course, this could result in an alternative hypothesis; one that may be a hybrid position and not necessarily a new perspective. A political economy framework sheds new light on the political intrigues that thwarted the welfare maximizing benefits of the state's economic policies. Over time, this fuelled dissent, which mobilized into militancy, catalyzed by several factors.