Book name: Kashmir The case for freedom
Publisher: Verso
Author: Tariq Ali, Hilal Bhatt, Angana P. Chatterji, Habbah Khatun, Pankaj Mishra and Arundhati Roy.
Publishing Year: 2011
No of Pages : 140
Price: Rs 1061
ISBN no: 978-1-84467-735-1
Rating: 3.5/5
The book Kashmir The case for freedom uncovers the chequered story of Kashmir from 1947 to 2010.The book is a good read for enthusiasts of Kashmir history, as it provides a precise primer to the past and present of the Kashmir conflict.The state being the bone of contention between India and Pakistan,for over a decade now. It is a collection of essays by experts on the prevailing Kashmir issue, which began at the dawn of Independence and doesn’t show signs of neutralising, let alone coming to a conclusive end.
This compilation of articles bring together a case for Kashmir diaspora, intellectually giving insight and introspection inside Kashmir's historical context.
About the author: Tariq Ali, (born 21 October 1943) is a British-Pakistani historian, novelist, filmmaker, political campaigner, and commentator. He is a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review and Sin Permiso, and regularly contributes to The Guardian, CounterPunch, and the London Review of Books.
The book touches upon the major theme, suggestive of the title of the book of the ongoing quest for justice and self-determination, as it gets ignored by corrupted politicians and forgotten at the international level. There are several other sub-themes of the book,which includes poems by a Queen of Kashmir Habbah Khatun, the militarized zone of Kashmir by Angana P. Chatterji, Seditious Nehru by Arundhati Roy and a gripping afterword 'Not crushed,merely Ignored' by Tariq Ali. The best part from the book was chapter number four that comprises of beautifully composed poems on the valley's culture, tradition, history and it's inevitably prolonged conflict ridden nature. It manifested how hell and heaven can co-exist.
It is important to divorce Kashmir from the framework of an India-Pakistan conflict. It was clear from the beginning of Partition that the people of that state were always supposed to have had a choice on their political future. The misgovernance of Pakistan and the post-9/11 Global War on Terrorism have obscured a political issue that predates both and requires an independent solution. Like all post-colonial states, India is understandably paranoid about any change to its borders. From Pandit Nehru onwards however, it was never clear that Kashmir should have been within those borders in the first place. The indefinite postponement of Kashmiri self-determination has led to an absolutely barbaric military occupation, as well as the slow, violent unraveling of Kashmir's social fabric as a whole. Until this issue is settled there will never be the broader economic and political integration that South Asia will require to thrive in the 21st century.
If nothing else, these essays provide a must-read ground on one of the most vicious and barbaric military occupations in the world. As a reader, I would say, I had expected polemics but found nuance.
However, the book having raised serious concerns over imbalances in the valley tends to end abruptly as it fails to provide relevant solutions to the contemporary Kashmir issue. The book is also relatively hard on the pocket, especially for students.
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