Nuclear Flashpoint : The War Over Kashmir

An alternative account of the Kashmir conflict centering the voices of the Kashmiris.

“An urgent and trenchant examination of Kashmir. Beautifully meshing history with modern political analysis, Chak masterfully interrogates the flashpoints that make the Kashmir crisis one of the most politically sensitive issues in modern world history” Khaled A. Beydoun, Law Professor and author of American Islamophobia

“Chak’s skillful analysis explains how this unresolved crisis threatens global peace” Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, Chairwoman of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, Educator, Film-Producer

“Repeated clashes between India, Pakistan, and China over Kashmir threaten to erupt into a nuclear conflict. These disputes need to be resolved, which requires understanding their origins, the people of Kashmir and their struggles. This book provides essential insight” Professor Brian Toon, Nasa Award Winner, University of Colorado

The territory of Jammu and Kashmir is one of the most politicallycontested and heavily militarized spaces on the planet. It has long been presented as an “internal dispute”, mainly by India, in attempts to sustain power through settler colonialism. In this context, Kashmiri voices are rarely heard. In Nuclear Flashpoint, Farhan Chak reveals how the history, culture, and the will of the people of Kashmir has been deliberately obscured to suit ideological agendas. He explores six unique time frames in Kashmiri history—from ancient Kashmir, through the British Raj, to the present day. Asking “who is a Kashmiri?”, Chak shines a light on the long cycle of revolt that continues in resistance movements today, and asks us to reconsider Kashmir’s ongoing quest for independence.

Dr. Farhan Mujahid Chak is the Secretary-General of Kashmir Civitas. He is Associate Professor of Political Science/International Affairs and Visiting Research Faculty in the Al-Waleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University and author of Islam and Pakistan’s Political Culture.