Ironically, Pakistan’s reactions to the abolition of Kashmir’s autonomous status could also play into New Delhi’s hands if used deftly by the Indian policy-making elite. By severely criticizing India on this issue Pakistan has unwittingly endorsed the validity of Article 370, which undergirded Kashmir’s accession to India. This should be music to New Delhi’s ears for Pakistan’s support, even if inadvertent, for Kashmir’s autonomous status within India amounts to Islamabad accepting the legitimacy of the state’s accession to India albeit with certain conditions. Such a Pakistani admission, even if unintentional, is likely to work in India’s favor in the ongoing propaganda war over Kashmir.

Mohammed Ayoob is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of International Relations, Michigan State University, and a senior fellow for the Center for Global Policy. His books include The Many Faces of Political Islam and, most recently, Will the Middle East Implode and editor of Assessing the War on Terror.

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