--------------- In 300 pages, a very concise distillation of the extremely complex history of Kashmir in the last 75 years, providing a well-researched and authoritative analysis on the roots and triggers of the conflict. Offering a comprehensive perspective about Kashmir’s unending strife through the telling of its narrative shaped by moments, events and multiple stakeholders, it is both scholarly and a great primer for those who want to understand the region’s ceaseless crisis. Anuradha Bhasin, Editor, Kashmir Times Paradise Lost is a valuable contribution to understanding Kashmir, its complex past and its fractured and tortured present. Siddhartha Guha Ray has deftly woven Kashmir’s myriad threads together in a detailed and accessible book. David Barsamian Director Alternative Radio, USA Dubiously known as “ Paradise on Earth” Siddhatha Guha Ray’s account presents the long history of disturbing details of deadly political turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir, the north region of Indian sub-continent. Ray meticulously describes the ever-tightening vice of ruthless competitive domination by government and vigilante agents of India and Pakistan that have made the region a veritable war zone from 1947 till now, with no advancing solution in sight. R.S.Ratner Professor Emeritus, Sociology, University Of British Columbia --------------- CONTENTS: Contents Introduction Historical Background Kashmir: Accession to India and the Question of Plebiscite Democracy Denied: Kashmir’s Integration with India Failure of the Indian Rulers: Kashmir in Flames Insurgency and Trampled Rights Black Laws and Suppression of Human Rights activists State Sponsored Counter Insurgent Militants and the Election of 1995 Continuity of Crisis: 1997-2010 Resentment and Wrath: Crisis Unresolved: 2011-2018 Article 370: Origin, Erosion and Abrogation