5) India's Present Moves in Kashmir:

A Proper Understanding of the Game

India's current moves in Kashmir are basically directed at strengthening its otherwise deteriorating position there. As with all other disputes anywhere in the world, Kashmir always serves as a barometric index reflecting the current state of power relations obtaining between the rival parties in the dispute. India cannot afford to have great power claims and missile-power projections and yet remain wounded and humbled inside Kashmir. Such a position of India defies the logic of the 'comprehensive settlement' (cf. 4.2) legitimising India's dominance in the region. Kashmir is all important when it comes to the question of India's and Pakistan's regional positions vis-à-vis each other, and stronger the movement in Kashmir against Indian occupation, stronger becomes the strategic edge of Pakistan over India. This is just the inescapable logic of the regional geo-strategic and historical realities. So if India is to be freed of the constraints and its predominance to be institutionalised then its deteriorating position in Kashmir has to be strengthened accordingly; it is an integral and at the moment the most crucial step in that direction. It is, therefore, no surprise that the U.S support for India's current Kashmir moves (e.g elections, India promising 'internal autonomy' for Kashmir etc. etc. ) precisely amounts to that: it strengthens India's position. How it does, can be better understood if we look at how India has, right from its occupation of Kashmir, sought to build up and consolidate its position in Kashmir and how in that scheme of things U.S support proves crucially helpful.