In a PSC, internal and external dimensions operate in the same social milieu. In this chapter, while elaborating the linkages between external and internal dimensions of the Kashmir conflict and probing the conflictual relationship shared by the state and the people, I have focused on the structural causes of the conflict and the political power shaping it. Why and how did the violent conflict erupt within J&K? Why and how did the Kashmiris, once considered apathetic towards Indo-Pak rivalry, become dynamic players in the conflict? How did the deprivation of the non-material needs contribute to the vertical conflictual relationship? I consider it important to examine these questions to understand the protracted nature of the conflict. Weaving the analysis together with the PSC theory, I elaborate how the conflict originated, what contributed to its protracted nature and how it shaped the state–people relations.

India, Pakistan and Kashmir

Conflicts can be divided into three categories: ‘clearly civil wars’, ‘clearly international conflicts or wars’ and ‘a mixture of international and civil wars’ (Azar, Jureidini and McLaurin, 1978, 45). Most of active civil conflicts in the developing world are characterized by a blurred demarcation between internal and external sources and actors, as there are multiple causal factors and dynamics, reflected in changing goals, actors and targets (Azar 1990, 6). The sources of such conflicts lay predominantly within and across rather than exclusively between states (Ramsbotham 2005, 114). While in its external dimension a PSC is mainly about national identity of two neighboring states, in its internal dimension it may be about identity of a particular group. Here, the domestic and international settings are arenas to fulfill the non-negotiable needs. A group may make alliances and compromises with another group, whether in the domestic or international arena, the ultimate goal, however, is to fulfill core group needs. When there is a mismatch between the boundary of a state and the ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural composition of the people within the state, or when they overlap with the boundary of another state, the disputes may lead to conflicts crossing physical borders (Goor, Rupesinghe and Sciarone, 1996). Kashmir conflict was in the list of PSCs developed by Azar; the others being Arab–Israeli, China–Taiwan, North Korea–South Korea, Cyprus (Turkish–Greek) and Northern Ireland.