Geopolitics, Conflict and Narratives: An Assessment of Kashmir Conflict after the Abrogation of Article 370

Abstract

Kashmir, a triangularly contested region between India, Pakistan and China, is administratively divided between India and Pakistan; it has hitherto sparked three major wars and countless small-scale military actions regarding the contest over the region. On 5 August 2019, the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which conferred a special status on Jammu and Kashmir in the realm of peripheral governance and autonomy, altered the geopolitical and social dynamics of the region. The government has been floating the narrative that the dissolution of this article was a result of numerous inputs, with the consent of Kashmiris and with facilitation from the elected state government, over the years to achieve the objectives of integration, administrative ease and good governance. However, the manner in which the abrogation of Article 370 had been carried out under heavy militarization of the region and imprisonment of all the Kashmiri politicians was far from amicable. Furthermore, in the aftermath of the abrogation, the Kashmir valley has witnessed political instability, human rights violation and alteration of indigenous identity by forced migration and revision of exclusive land rights. The Indian government’s portrayal of abrogation as the biggest success contrast with ground realities of a militarized life in Kashmir. This paper, relying on both the primary and secondary resources including correspondence with Kashmir scholars, aims to assess the contemporary geopolitics of the Kashmir conflict after the abrogation of Article 370 by examining the reasons behind and the impact of this decision on the Kashmiri people. The research concludes that while the abrogation of Article 370 may have temporarily secured India’s hold over the region, it has exacerbated the human rights situation in Kashmir and further tensed the geopolitical tightrope between India, Pakistan, China and other international players.