Counterinsurgency strategy of the Indian state in Kashmir: A critical analysis

Abstract

Jammu and Kashmir, a strategically located state and a source of continued dispute between India and Pakistan, has been rocked by insurgency since the late eighties. The insurgency has been simmering in the region since then though its nature and its intensity have varied over time. It is beyond a shadow of a doubt that whenever and where ever insurgency erupts, there is an urgent need on the part of the state to counter and quell it as it impinges heavily on the security, stability and integrity of the state. Moreover, it also causes enormous loss at the level of man and material. The present paper examines the concept of insurgency and counter-insurgency. Then it attempts to analyses the counterinsurgency strategy of the Indian state in Jammu and Kashmir. It suggests that insurgency in Kashmir is essentially a political issue and the belief of the state that it can battle insurgency through the use of both military and winning hearts and minds (WHAM) strategy is an underestimation of the ground reality in Kashmir.