Pakis an Jou nal o Social Sciences Re iew (PJSSR)
ISSN (e) 2959-8052 (p) 2959-8044
1206
h ps://pjss .com.pk/index.php/Jou nal/issue/a chi e | Khan 2025 |Page 1206
Book Re iew: The Un old S o y o he People o Azad Kashmi W i en by
Ch is ophe Snedden
D Fa ooq Abdullah
Lec u e , Depa men o Sociology, Mi pu Uni e si y o Science and Technology (MUST)
ORCID-0000-0002-9438-6893
a ooq.a[email p o ec ed]
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/
Keywo ds
INTRODUCTION
Ch is ophe Snedden is an Aus alian poli ico-s a egic analys ,
au ho , and academic specializing in Sou h Asia. He is cu en ly
employed as a p o esso a he Asia-Paci ic Cen e o Secu i y
S udies in Honolulu, Hawaii. He au ho ed he book The Un old S o y
o he People o Azad Kashmi , published by Ox o d Uni e si y P ess
(Pakis an) in 2011.
In his book, Snedden e eals c i ical insigh s in o he sensi i e
hemes and complex eali ies o Azad Jammu and Kashmi (AJK), a
egion o en o e looked in schola ly li e a u e. While much has been
w i en on he Kashmi dispu e, Azad Jammu and Kashmi has
emained la gely unexplo ed by esea che s, schola s, and academics.
AJK, also known as Pakis an-adminis e ed Kashmi (PAK), gained
au onomy in 1947 h ough a popula up ising in he Poonch egion,
which is now pa o AJK.
Snedden’s wo k comp ehensi ely discusses how Azad Kashmi came
in o i s p esen o m and how i unc ions—poli ically, his o ically,
economically, adminis a i ely, and socially. Mo e impo an ly, he
explo es wha he people o Azad Kashmi need. His book p esen s a
no el and elucida i e his o ical accoun , shedding ligh on he
unce ain and o en o e looked u u e o he nea ly ou million
people esiding in AJK.
The book is di ided in o wo main sec ions. The i s sec ion
in es iga es he Poonch up ising in he egion be o e i s accession o
India. Snedden a gues ha he Muslims o sou hwes e n Jammu and
Kashmi , acing he h ea o annihila ion by Dog a o ces, ini ia ed
he Kashmi con lic . He links he up ising o he ailu e o he Raja
o Poonch o manage his dynas ic egime e ec i ely, which he
iden i ies as a majo ac o in he e en ual spli . While India has o en
blamed Pakis an o o ches a ing he c isis by sending Pash un
ibesmen in o he Kashmi Valley, Snedden challenges his na a i e.
A icle His o y
Recei ed on 01 Oc 2025
Accep ed on 25 Oc 2025
Published on 04 No 2025
Copy igh @Au ho
Co esponding Au ho : *
D Fa ooq Abdullah
Lec u e , Depa men o
Sociology
Mi pu Uni e si y o Science
and Technology (MUST)
ORCID-0000-0002-9438-6893
a ooq.a[email p o ec ed]
Pakis an Jou nal o Social Sciences Re iew (PJSSR)
ISSN (e) 2959-8052 (p) 2959-8044
1207
h ps://pjss .com.pk/index.php/Jou nal/issue/a chi e | Khan 2025 |Page 1207
He asse s ha he e ol in Poonch was an
indigenous mo emen led by he local Muslim
popula ion who sough accession o Pakis an.
Ci ing his o ical sou ces, Snedden con ends
ha Neh u was p i a ely awa e ha many o
he so-called " ibesmen" we e, in ac , ex-
se icemen om Poonch who had p e iously
se ed in B i ish egimen s. O e ime,
howe e , a dominan na a i e emphasizing
he ole o Pash un ibesmen ook hold.
The second sec ion o he book ocuses on he
go e nance acuum in Azad Kashmi om
1947 o 2010. Snedden c i ically examines
Pakis an’s ole in shaping e e y aspec o li e
in Azad Kashmi . He a gues ha al hough
AJK was supposed o enjoy au onomy,
Pakis an has main ained disp opo iona e
con ol o e i s poli ical, adminis a i e, and
economic s uc u es.
Snedden e eals how Azad Kashmi is
poli ically and legally bound o Pakis an,
which has ensu ed he egion emains a
dispu ed e i o y while simul aneously
supp essing i s sel -go e nance. Ini ially, he
people o Azad Kashmi belie ed ha hei
p o isional go e nmen was legi ima e and
ha hey would one day gain ull con ol o e
all o Kashmi h ough UN-supe ised
plebisci e. Howe e , wi h no plebisci e held o
da e, Azad Kashmi has, o e he decades,
become a de ac o and subo dina e egion o
Pakis an—dependen on and poli ically
con olled by Islamabad.
The book highligh s ha Pakis an’s s a egic
in e es s in Azad Kashmi emain pa amoun .
I e ains con ol o e he egion’s
adminis a ion, na u al esou ces, and
especially i s poli ical s uc u e. Snedden also
explo es he cas e-based social sys em known
as Bi ada i and i s in luence on poli ics in
AJK and Islamabad. He asse s ha Bi ada i
plays a key ole in poli ical mobiliza ion and
is o en exploi ed by poli ical ac o s o igh en
con ol and secu e loyal y.
Towa d he end o he book, Snedden o e s a
p oposal o esol ing he b oade Kashmi
dispu e. While his conclusion is hough ul, he
acknowledges ce ain sho comings in his
wo k. He no es ha he ea men o Bi ada i
ne wo ks could ha e been mo e de ailed and
ha he book lacks su icien maps o suppo
i s geopoli ical analysis. Addi ionally, he
poin s ou ha he in e iews conduc ed wi h
o me poli ical leade s could ha e been mo e
deeply analysed, especially ega ding hei
g ie ances abou Pakis an’s policies owa d
Azad Kashmi .
Despi e hese limi a ions, Snedden’s book
add esses a c i ical gap in he li e a u e—
especially wi hin Pakis an—whe e
in o ma ion on Azad Kashmi emains
minimal. The book is a compelling and
in o ma i e ead, o e ing an in-dep h and
nuanced analysis o AJK’s poli ical and
his o ical con ex , much o which is a ely
a ailable in mains eam academic discou se.
This wo k s ands ou as a much-needed
schola ly con ibu ion, o e ing in aluable
insigh s in o he e en s ha ha e shaped he
his o y and iden i y o Azad Kashmi . I
challenges p e ailing na a i es and p o ides
a pla o m o e hinking he egion’s ole in
he b oade Kashmi dispu e.
In conclusion, I a gue ha he people o
Jammu and Kashmi dese e mo e a en ion
om schola s, esea che s, and academics.
The e is a p essing need o mo e ex ensi e
s udies ha explo e he egion’s cul u al
ichness, his o ical complexi ies, and he oo
causes o i s p olonged con lic . Ch is ophe
Snedden’s wo k is a ounda ional s ep in his
di ec ion, opening he doo o u he
academic inqui y and policy e lec ion.
Re e ence
Snedden, C. (2012). The un old s o y o
he people o Azad Kashmi . Ox o d
Uni e si y P ess, Pakis an.
