Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris
Christopher Snedden
Speaking Tiger
Pages 372; Rs 699
The Kashmir dispute turns seventy later this month-- the invasion of the Kashmir Valley by Pashtun tribesmen, the formation of “Azad Kashmir”, maharaja Hari Singh’s accession to India, his SOS to the Indian government, and the airlift of Indian troops to Srinagar to thwart the invaders, all took place between October 22 and October 27, 1947. In Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Christopher Snedden, an Australian academic, describes Hari Singh’s accession dilemma and the circumstances in which his state fragmented within three months of the British withdrawal, and takes a critical
