Logo

The India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed repeated ceasefire violations (CFVs) over the past decade. As relations between India and Pakistan have deteriorated, CFVs have increased exponentially. It is imperative to gain a deeper understanding of these violations owing to their potential to not only cause a crisis but also escalate an ongoing one. Line on Fire, part of the Oxford International Relations in South Asia series, postulates that the incorrect diagnosis of the reasons behind CFVs has led to wrong policies being adopted by both India and Pakistan to deal with the recurrent violations. Using fresh empirical data and first-hand accounts, the volume attempts to understand the reason why CFVs continue to take place between India and Pakistan despite consistent efforts to reduce the tension between the two nations. In doing so, it recontextualizes and enriches the prevailing arguments in contemporary literature on escalating dynamics and unenduring ceasefire agreements between the two South Asian nuclear rivals.

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Conceptualizing escalation dynamics in South Asia. 3. (Mis)managing the border: a history of practices and mechanisms. 4. Lull before the storm: 2003 ceasefire agreement and after. 5. Military gamesmanship and moral ascendency: explaining ceasefire violations. 6. Ceasefire violations and crisis escalation: analysing the data. 7. Implications for theory and practice. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.