ABOUT THE BOOK

This book is a result of research undertaken on the subject by the scholars associated with the IDSA project on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)—also known as Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK)—which includes both the so-called “Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)” and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), was legally a part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, which acceded to India in October 1947. The authors of this book seek to provide a critical analysis of the politics of the above mentioned two regions within PoK; throw light on the genesis and evolution of various political parties and interest groups, and acquaint the readers with different personalities playing important role in politics therein. The main aim of the publication is to help the scholars, analysts, and policy-makers to understand the dynamics of the political systems in PoK, the complex interaction of these systems with the government in Islamabad and the responses of the local leadership to Pakistan’s strategy of keeping them under strict control in the name of representative governance over the last 70 years.

ABOUT Author

Mr. Surinder Kumar Sharma has been attached to the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) as a consultant. He has a ring-side view on the rise of global terrorism specially surrounding India with special focus on Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir. He has held a number of important positions in the Indian security establishment, i.e. Cabinet Secretariat and the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), and has been decorated with `Outstanding Performance Award` by the National Security Adviser.

 
Dr Yaqoob ul Hassan is a research analyst at IDSA. He was an SAV Visiting Fellow, Stimson Center, Washington DC in 2018. He received his Ph.D. from Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi, India and was also a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul University, Turkey. His research interests include politics and security of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Kashmir and Political Islam.

 
Dr Ashok Behuria is a Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the South Asia Centre at IDSA. He is a Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He has worked as Assistant Director at the International Centre for Peace Studies (ICPS), and also been Editor of International Studies, the journal from JNU. He is on the Editorial Boards of Journal of Peace Studies and IDSA’s flagship journal, Strategic Analysis. He is a recipient of the ‘K Subrahmanyam Award for Excellence in Strategic Studies’ for his work on Pakistan in 2009.