S/P/84. Is the Kashmir problem a product of Indo-Pakistan conflicts?

This paper looks at the Kashmir conflict and argues that the problem is not purely a product of Indo-Pakistan conflict. It is indubitable given the geographical position, historical context and various nationalist pressures existing in the region, the relations between the two countries necessarily influence the conflict. However, the conflict has been largely created by the failure of the Indian State to allow for the development and entrenchment of democratic institutions in the region during what could have been a time of effective democratisation in Kashmir. This has led on to Pakistan-related historical, geographical and religious contexts perpetuating the state of conflict.