For the inhabitants of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, freedom came at a price. The Indian–Pakistani battle for sovereignty over the territory turned the Kashmir question into an international dispute and led to the drawing of an arbitrary ceasefire line dividing the province. War, violence, and displacement led Kashmiris to believe that their much-awaited freedom still eluded them. Kashmiri society battled this turmoil during the 1950s as it tried to come to grips with not only the presence of the Indian and Pakistani states, but also Kashmiris’ own place within these new political constructs.

This chapter explores the immediate aftermath of decolonization, during which India and Pakistan, aided by local political elites, sought to legitimize their rule over their respective sides of Kashmir. Meanwhile, the United Nations’ promise of a plebiscite to resolve the area's disputed status created ambiguity about Kashmir's future, making Kashmiris question whether they had a place in either of the newly created nation-states. For over seventy years, questions of belonging and loyalty for various communities living on both sides of the ceasefire line and how they imagined their role in the politics of postcolonial Kashmir have sparked a debate. To what extent is their belonging rooted in a political, regional, or cultural sense of identity? Some have argued that the loyalty of Kashmiri Muslims lay with Pakistan because of their supposedly shared religious sensibilities. This view has been bolstered not only by Pakistani nationalist writings, but also by devotees of India's Hindu right. Indian and Kashmiri nationalist discourses, in contrast, have characterized Kashmir as a land devoid of religious discord. This articulation of Kashmiriyat emphasizes the secular spirit of Kashmiris to justify the decision of the National Conference to support Kashmir's accession to India. Research on the present political turmoil in Kashmir draws from these two classifications of Kashmiri identity as well.