In this book I have tackled the question of how the Kashmir dispute is understood on both sides of the LoC by focusing on the space of conflict, that is, what is perceived as contested by those living in the affected territories. This space of conflict coincides with the borderland, and is characterized by differentiation done through bordering processes that set spatial hierarchies which are critical for interpreting international reality. As highlighted in Chapter 2, although not recognized as political entities, borderlands are essential spaces for the inquiry about transformations in the international reality. The adoption of a borderland perspective for examining the Kashmir conflict has underscored the difference between the representation of the dispute as an interstate and intrastate affair, and the manifestation of conflict in everyday life in the disputed territories. In so doing, this perspective has unravelled the problem, caused by territorial fixation, of people's exclusion and marginalization from state belonging, which is contrasted with their experiences of ‘multi-territoriality’ or the possibility of accessing or connecting to diverse territories.

For those living in the disputed territories, the Kashmir issue is essentially about the impossibility of participating in a political project or taking a decision about their own political future. This sentiment is mainly articulated in terms of belonging – that is, by tracing a relationship with a multitude of places and spaces – but also in terms of departing from an experience of dispossession or rootlessness.