Towards a Process of Reconciliation in Jammu and Kashmir? A Tentative Analysis

Abstract

This article examines the process of reconciliation in Indian Jammu and Kashmir, begun by a New Delhi proud of its willingness, almost unparalleled in the history of this troubled region, to permit a democratic election, and continued by the government headed by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed that came to power after those elections. The stakes are high: Mufti faces a Centre which guards its prerogatives jealously, with the 'proxy war' remaining an important instrument of legitimization. The Jammu and Kashmir government must not only promote itself as a key partner in any dialogue with the different militant groups, but also further a process of reconciliation within the Muslim communities affected by the conflict, while responding to the often antagonistic claims of the main groups in the different areas of the state (Muslim majority in Kashmir, mainly Hindus and Muslims in Jammu, Buddhists and Muslims in Ladakh).