The Untold Story Of The People Of Azad Kashmir

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.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (also known as "Free Kashmir") is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Christopher Snedden offers a rare history of the territory's largely forgotten people and the conflict that continues to define their status within the nation. He contends that in October 1947, pro-Pakistan Muslims in southwestern Jammu and Kashmir initiated the Kashmir dispute, not Pashtun tribesmen invading from Pakistan, which is India's official narrative. Later named Azad Kashmiris, these people, Snedden argues, are legitimate stakeholders in this conflict and have very much inherited its legacy. Snedden en critically reexamines Azad Kashmir's administrative structures, economic and political systems, and subordinate relationship with Pakistan, particularly in the years following the Kashmir dispute. Azad Kashmiris believed their administration was the only legitimate government in the region, and they expected to rule Jammu and Kashmir after its reunification by the United Nations. However, contrary to expectations, Azad Kashmir effectively, if not legally, became a (dependent) part of Pakistan. Long disenchanted with Islamabad, some Azad Kashmiris now favor independence for Jammu and Kashmir and hope to prosper without help from their neighbors. In his conclusion, Snedden assesses different ways to resolve Azad Kashmir's international status and the outstanding claims of the Kashmir dispute.

Dispatches from a valley under siege Since 1989, Kashmir has rarely been out of the headlines, as local militants, foreign terrorists and Indian security forces battle it out in a region once known as `paradise on earth'. In all the propaganda, and news and statistics about terrorist strikes, counter insurgency operations and the foreign hand, the human stories, however, are often lost. In this book, journalist Humra Quraishi draws upon her extensive travels in the Valley and interactions with ordinary Kashmiris over two decades to try and understand what the long strife has done to them. She brings us heartrending stories of mothers waiting for their young sons who disappeared years ago, picked up by the army or by militants; minds undone by the constant uncertainty and fear and almost daily humiliation; old harmonies tragically undermined by the atmosphere of suspicion; an entire generation of young Kashmiris who have grown up with no concept of security; and individual families and a whole society falling apart under the strain of the seemingly endless turmoil

A radical new look at the largely forgotten four million people of Azad Kashmir - the part of Kashmir occupied by Pakistan, and separated by a Line of Control from Indian territory In Kashmir: The Unwritten History, politico-strategic analyst Christopher Snedden contends that in October 1947, pro-Pakistan Muslims in southwestern 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 by assessing the various proposals that have been mooted to resolve Azad Kashmir's international status and the broader Kashmir dispute.

Pakistan Occupied Kashmir: The Untold Truth' is a book about the territory of Jammu & Kashmir under Pakistani occupation. The region has been split up into two administrative units: Gilgit-Baltistan and Mirpur-Muzaffarabad, officially termed by Pakistanis as the 'Northern Areas, and 'Azad Kashmir' respectively. The media has constantly focussed on the Kashmir Valley, while the POK has remained neglected. Ignorance about the region borders on apathy. Even the circumstances under which the territory was occupied and the manner in which it was annexed by Pakistan have not been investigated by the scholars in requisite detail. The book traces the circumstances surrounding Pakistan's occupation of the territory, its current legal status, the growing popular discontentment and much more about POK's inside truth. Published in Collaboration with Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses (IDSA)

The seemingly intractable Kashmir dispute and the fate of Kashmiris throughout South Asia and beyond are the twin themes in Snedden's meticulously researched book.

Secrets or Death. In this collection of true stories, American scholar Farhana Qazi reveals why women keep secrets to survive another day of conflict. She meets with political activists, protestors and peacemakers to understand their emotional loss and love for Kashmir. Despite the chronic social suffering, these women fight to survive against all odds. These stories are the hidden truths of the valley.

Many disenchanted Kashmiris continue to demand independence or freedom from India. Written by a leading authority on Kashmir’s troubled past, this book revisits the topic of independence for the region (also known as Jammu and Kashmir, or J&K), and explores exactly why this aspiration has never been fulfilled. In a rare India-Pakistan agreement, they concur that neither J&K, nor any part of it, can be independent. Charting a complex history and intense geo-political rivalry from Maharaja Hari Singh’s leadership in the mid-1920s to the present, this book offers an essential insight into the disputes that have shaped the region. As tensions continue to rise following government-imposed COVID-19 lockdowns, Snedden asks a vital question: what might independence look like and just how realistic is this aspiration?