ABSTRACT
The armed conflicts in northeastern India are the most loosely connected to the rest of the region. The armed conflicts active in the South Asia region are diverse but not wholly discrete. In particular, the situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan have numerous connections, and are increasingly relevant to the circumstances in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Local violence in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has worsened and will continue to be profoundly affected by India’s and Pakistan’s domestic political debates and security strategies. The Indian government will no doubt use the upcoming general elections in April and May 2019 as a platform to continue politicising the conflict and mobilise supporters around a more forceful national-security response to Pakistan’s involvement in Kashmir. The Communist Party of India–Maoist and northeast India conflicts, meanwhile, are largely discrete and self-contained.
