Kashmir Under 370: A Personal History by J&K’s Former Director General of Police

Mahendra Sabharwal and Manish Sabharwal, Juggernaut, New Delhi, Kashmir, Naya Kashmir, 2024, 250 pp., Rs. 799 (Hardback), ISBN: 978-93-5345-426-5, New Delhi.

Soon after acceding to India in October 1947, the princely State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) became synonymous with what was to be known as ‘the Kashmir issue’, ‘the Kashmir conflict’, ‘the Kashmir problem’ or ‘the Kashmir dispute’. From India’s standpoint, Kashmir’s embroilment was mainly due to Pakistan’s invasion of the state, the geopolitically-motivated mess at the UN (when India registered its complaint on the Pakistani aggression) and the retention of territory by Pakistan it illegally occupied during the invasion. Within India and outside, the span of 78 years post Pakistan’s invasion has produced an ocean of literature on multiple issues concerning the former state. Comparatively, there are fewer books that have come out after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Obviously, the rescinding of the special status from Jammu & Kashmir is still fresh andmore importantly, the new reality is still to sink in completely.