Perspectives on the politics of Kashmir conflict interrogating select works of fiction and non fiction

Abstract

The research focuses on how the selected texts deal with or respond to various dominant discourses (Indian, Pakistani and Kashmiri) on the Kashmir conflict. It is also an attempt to recover the lost voices of the two communities of Kashmir by focusing on their response to the years of insurgency and counter-insurgency. These voices from a conflict zone describe how the armed uprising, the military action of the Indian state and the constant interference of Pakistan affected the lives of Kashmir conflict and Kashmiri Pandits. The selected texts create a space of resistance where Muslims and Pandits reclaim their right to speak for themselves. At the same time, they reflect the changing dynamics of co-existence and trust between the two communities. Mirza Waheed and Basharat Peer depict alienation of a community from the Indian state whereas Siddhartha Gigoo and Rahul Pandita explore how Pandits were forced to become refugees in their own country. newline