The true history of Kashmir has been controversial, with each side ready to claim victimhood when required, present itself as having more legitimacy, or portray itself as the victor. This narrative-building has overshadowed the fate of Kashmiris. As the saying, attributed to Rousseau, suggests, there are always four sides to a story: your side, their side, the truth and what really happened. This is what defines the October saga of Kashmir.

The history of the Kashmir conflict is laced with complexities, and at the very core is the signing of the accession document by Maharaja Hari Singh. The British formula, premised on religious demographics, entailed Kashmir falling in Pakistan's orbit. In his book, Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy, Alastair Lamb highlights that the haste - four hours to chart the division plan and five minutes to accept it - created tremors with the partition of Punjab. Muslim-majority areas, such as the three tehsils of Gurdaspur District, were awarded to India along with the........

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