The Kashmir issue has been a subject of international attention ever since the subcontinent was partitioned in1947. The clash between India and Pakistan over the coveted territory led to the emergence of Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered areas. While the social and political conditions in the former have been widely discussed, even among Kashmir experts there is little knowledge of Pakistan-administered Jammu & Kashmir (PAJK), particularly its political, cultural and social aspects. Luv Puri analyses the crucial pre-Independence social and political processes which resulted in polarization within the state and the violence that wracked the region during Partition. He tracks the effect of those events on Pakistan s Punjab province and the ensuing impact on Pakistan s position on the Jammu & Kashmir issue. The relationship between Pakistan and PAJK is an important aspect of Puri s research. He traces the history of migration from Mirpur to Britain and the Mirpuri diaspora s significant support to the early phase of militancy that arose in Jammu & Kashmir in 1989. This insurgency, which had its base in PAJK, promised independence from both India and Pakistan. The book also discusses the many transformations in the pro-independence struggle from its inception to the present day. Across the LoC: Inside Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir is a new and original contribution to the body of literature on the region and the role PAJK has played in the larger Jammu & Kashmir tangle.
