Kashmir's founding tragedy

In Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, the author describes Hari Singh's accession dilemma and takes a critical look at how both Pakistani-held Kashmir and Indian J&K have fared in the decades since

Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris

Christopher Snedden

Speaking Tiger

Pages 372; Rs 699

The Kashmir dispute turns seventy later this month-- the invasion of the Kashmir Valley by Pashtun tribesmen, the formation of “Azad Kashmir”, maharaja Hari Singh’s accession to India, his SOS to the Indian government, and the airlift of Indian troops to Srinagar to thwart the invaders, all took place between October 22 and October 27, 1947. In Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Christopher Snedden, an Australian academic, describes Hari Singh’s accession dilemma and the circumstances in which his state fragmented within three months of the British withdrawal, and takes a critical