Abstract
The historiography of the Kashmir conflict has focused on the events of 1947. However, what is often overlooked in the division of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is the role played by the popular Kashmiri leader, Sheikh Abdullah. The Muslim Conference—a political movement that sought to empower the Muslim majority population of J&K—was changed in favor of the secular National Conference party in 1939. Abdullah’s decision to move away from the Muslim Conference was to encourage unity between the Muslim population of the state and its minorities, namely, Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists. However, this chapter argues that far from paving the way for a united front against the oppressive ruler, Abdullah’s decision created deep cleavages and power struggles, contributing to the division of J&K.
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Bashir, Y. (2021). From Muslim Conference to National Conference: Sheikh Abdullah’s Quest for Secularism. In: Hussain, S. (eds) Society and Politics of Jammu and Kashmir. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56481-0_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56481-0_6
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