Articles by Balraj Puri

The era of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was marked by a single-minded assertion by the people of Kashmir of their identity. The question of their external affiliation – constitutionally, politically and emotionally – had, more or less, been stabilised during the life-time of the leader who had symbolised Kashmiri aspirations uninterruptedly for over half a century.

This paper attempts a retrospective assessment of the era of Sheikh Abdullah and the prospects for the future development of Kashmiri identity within the state as well as in the country. The paper is divided into four sections. Section I traces the historical assertion of Kashmiri identity in the context of political awakening in the state which first took the form of Muslim consciousness and opposition to Dogra rule but which soon shed its exclusive Muslim character and become a struggle against monarchy itself. Section II delineates the various regional identities within the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the attempts of the National Conference, representative organisations of the overwhelming majority of the population in the Valley, to incorporate them within its fold. Sections III and IV, consider the continuing efforts to evolve a composite identity for the state and the obstacles in the emergence and consolidation of such an identity. Sections I and II of the paper appeared last week. Sections III and IV are published below.

Balraj Puri Freedom Movement in Kashmir by Ghulam Hassan Khan; Light and Life, New Delhi; pp 523, Rs 140.
BY 'freedom movement' we generally mean the movement that was aimed at liberating the country from British rule. In the case of Kashmir, however, the expression refers to a movement which was started, in a regular and organised manner, in July 1931 and was primarily directed against the rule of an alien Dogra monarch.

Route of Ladakh's Integration Balraj Puri LADAKH has been an uneasy part of Jammu and Kashmir ever since it was annexed by the Dogra army led by wazir Zurawar Singh in 18-34. Ethnically, culturally and spiritually the Buddhists of Leh have felt closer to Tibet than to the Dogras or the Kashmiris ui the state.

Problems and Prospects of Federalisation The Case of Jammu and Kashmir Balraj Puri THE process of Indian federalisation has had many vicissitudes in Jammu and Kashmir since independence. It had a glorious start when a Muslim majority state, which had long borders with and all communication outlets to Pakistan, opted of its free will to accede to India. The process suffered a dramatic reverse in 1953. The reverse trend continued to worsen and reached its nadir in 1965. The reintegration process started thereafter and took a qualitative turn in 1971. By 1977, the course of federalisation had completed a full circle when secessionist movement in the state had lost all incentive and its raison d' etre. All the political parties of India:, including the erstwhile Jana Sangh, which became a constituent unit of the Janata party in 1977 and reincarnated itself as the Bharatiya Janata party in 1980, are now reconciled to continuance of Article 370 of the Constitution and the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Even the demand for further revision in this status by a Kashmiri leader in order to enlarge its autonomy, though generally not favoured, does not provoke suspicion about his patriotism in the rest of the country.

Alienated Segments of India Balraj Puri Politics of Minorities: Some Perspectives by Moin Shakir; Ajanta Publications, New Delhi, 1980; pp 172; Rs 60.