Description

The Kashmir conflict 1989-2009 is a representation of ‘fundamentalist’ religious empowerment. This conflict is not a stand-alone phenomenon. The origins of this South Asian conflict could be traced back to the fundamentalist Hindutva mindset that preceded the two-nation theory of Pakistan and subsequent Islamisation by decades, especially the way Hindu institutions were protected and flourished during the colonial period. This study develops a framework of understanding how India and Pakistan are constantly perched on the precipice of war since 1947, caught in “a paired-minority conflict”, engaging occasionally in the battleground but increasingly in games of stealth and intelligence. Indian strategic culture does not accept the legitimacy of Pakistan while the latter is entangled in the mindset of strategic inferiority and displaying a lack of professionalism. The nuclear tests of 1998 transformed India into a winner and an emerging power, whereas Pakistan is on the verge of a collapse and struggling for foreign aid. This study develops an argument on how this fundamentalist conflict gradually progressed to an insurgency in Kashmir with implications beyond South Asia.