ABSTRACT
The conflict in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir escalated in 2018, with frequent gunfights between armed groups and the state. Expectations of a political breakthrough rose when peace talks between India and Pakistan began in the mid-2000s and local recruitment into armed groups declined. The shrill rhetoric of Hindutva nationalists directed against India’s Muslim minority and the mainstreaming of the Hindutva ideology means there is wider support for the heightened repression and of muscular policy against Kashmiri Muslims. State repression within Kashmir allows Pakistan-based armed groups to infiltrate the Line of Contact and fight Indian security forces. Dozens of social-media accounts and posts were removed during 2018 as the Indian government sought to regulate the behaviour of the local media and counter the anti-India narrative in Kashmir. Pakistan must also be involved for any talks between India and the All Parties Hurriyat Conference to succeed.
