Jammu & Kashmir: A History Bigger Than Just the Valley... Explained by AbuBakar Irfan. (Part-1)

 Title: The Other Kashmiris: Forgotten Voices of Kotli, Rajouri & Beyond.

By AbuBakar Irfan.

When the world speaks of Kashmir, it often conjures the image of the snow-covered valley of Srinagar, Dal Lake shimmering beneath the sky, and people caught in decades of conflict. But beyond this romanticized and media-centralized narrative lies a deeper, more complex truth, one that involves millions of people whose stories rarely get told. These are the people of Kotli, Rajouri, Mirpur, Poonch, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, and other regions that were once part of the undivided princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Despite their shared history and suffering, many of these communities today face marginalization, not only politically but also in identity. The Kashmir conflict, as it is known globally, has come to mean "the Valley conflict." This has inadvertently excluded voices from Jammu, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), who continue to grapple with displacement, identity trauma, and political invisibility.

A Division Ignored

When Partition tore the subcontinent apart in 1947, it wasn’t just Punjab and Bengal that were divided. The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was shattered too. Jammu was split; Rajouri and Poonch became fault lines. Thousands fled across new, unmarked borders. Kotli and Mirpur became homes for refugees from the other side, and vice versa. Yet this division rarely features in international discussions.

Why? Because the Valley wasn’t divided. It remained mostly within Indian control. As violence intensified in the 1990s, the Valley became the epicenter of resistance, and its suffering was real and undeniable. But that spotlight cast shadows elsewhere.

Erased by the Narrative

In today’s discourse, AJK people are sometimes dismissed as "fake Kashmiris" or as opportunists using the Kashmir tag for social or political gain. This painful rhetoric often comes from both within and outside the broader Kashmiri community. Some Valley voices view AJK residents as peripheral, while others in AJK internalize this imposed inferiority.

But here’s the truth: The people of Kotli, Rajouri, and Mirpur are state subjects of the original J&K. Their ancestors lived in the same mountains, walked the same paths, and crossed the same rivers before borders divided their fate. Their identity is not borrowed. It is inherited.

The Political Cost of Simplification

Calling it simply the "Kashmir conflict" has global consequences. It frames the issue as one of territorial control over the Valley, rather than a larger humanitarian and political crisis affecting multiple regions. Jammu's refugees, AJK's displaced families, and GB's stateless residents are all part of this story, yet they remain voiceless in negotiations, headlines, and global awareness.

Reclaiming the Full Story

If peace is ever to come to the region, it must include everyone, not just the Valley. The suffering of one group should not come at the cost of erasing another. Voices from Kotli and Rajouri deserve platforms. Histories from Poonch and Gilgit need to be archived and told. And most importantly, future solutions must consider the entirety of Jammu and Kashmir, not just its most visible parts.

A Call to Identity

To the young person in Kotli wondering whether their Kashmiri identity is valid, it is. To the displaced families of Rajouri watching their past dissolve into silence, you matter. To the world listening to half the story, start listening to the rest.

Because only when all Kashmiris are seen and heard can justice, healing, and peace ever begin to take root.