Beyond Autonomy and Accession: Entrenched Insensitivity towards People by Political Class of Jammu and Kashmir

Overview

In this Issue Brief, Lt Gen Devendra Pratap Pandey (Retd.) traces nearly eight decades of political conduct in Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that leaders across ideological lines not just one party or era have consistently prioritised identity mobilisation, religious symbolism, and constitutional brinkmanship over governance and development, leaving the region’s population to bear the cost.

He builds the argument around three recurring tendencies: ambivalence, brinkmanship, and callousness. He traces this pattern back to the very moment of accession, when Maharaja Hari Singh’s hesitation between India, Pakistan, and independence delayed the Instrument of Accession and ultimately cost the region territory and decades of instability. He then examines Sheikh Abdullah’s balancing act between religious and socialist appeal, the incorporation of Article 370 as a political lever, and the oscillating cycle of dismissal, arrest, and reconciliation that followed. The piece walks through the rise of the National Conference and PDP, arguing both parties despite differing idioms mastered the same strategy of pushing constitutional boundaries for political relevance without ever fully breaking from Delhi.

The brief argues that even the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the restoration of electoral politics in 2024 have not broken this pattern pointing to early Assembly sessions that revived symbolic contests over already-adjudicated issues instead of focusing on jobs, education, and fiscal reform. He also highlights how Valley-centric politics has historically sidelined the concerns of Jammu, Ladakh, and border communities, and links the region’s persistent instability to what scholars call a “conflict economy,” where political capital is generated by grievance rather than resolved by peace. He closes by calling for a shift from symbolism to substance arguing that only accountability, consistent constitutional messaging, and equal regional representation can break the cycle.

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