Kashmir: Nature and Dimensions of the Conflict

After sixty nine years of the Partition of British India, Kashmir still remains an unresolved issue. It has not only been a cause of wars and crises in India-Pakistan bilateral relations, but regional peace and stability also hinges upon its resolution. Kashmiri people have been struggling for their right of self-determination and in pursuance of this goal, they have been facing grave human rights violations (HRVs). These violations in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) show the indifference of the international community to this issue. The paper gives a brief historical overview of Kashmir; and the political and legal aspects of the concept of selfdetermination and its application on Kashmir in the contemporary global environment. It analyses how Indian domestic politics have a strong bearing on the changing dynamics of and in IHK, especially with regard to HRVs; and various options for peace put forward by Pakistan.