“Do Not Just Reduce Kashmir to a Geopolitical Narrative” : Anika Nazir Calls for Understanding Jammu and Kashmir Through Ground Realities

Geneva: A video presentation by Anika Nazir, a community development professional and researcher from Jammu and Kashmir, India, was played during the 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, where she called for a more people-centred and development-oriented understanding of Jammu and Kashmir. The 63rd session is being held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 7 September to 7 October 2026.

Drawing from her grassroots engagement in Jammu and Kashmir, Nazir’s presentation placed particular emphasis on the resilience, agency and evolving aspirations of women and communities in the region. She underlined that women should not be understood exclusively through the experiences of conflict, loss and adversity, but also through their growing participation in education, entrepreneurship, professional life, livelihoods and community leadership.

Nazir has worked extensively at the grassroots level in Jammu and Kashmir on women’s empowerment, youth development, education, skill development and community development, while also engaging with the experiences of victims of terrorism and families and communities affected by prolonged violence. Her research and field engagement have focused on understanding the social and human consequences of conflict, including its impact on families, livelihoods and community life.

In her intervention, Nazir called for Jammu and Kashmir to be viewed beyond a predominantly geopolitical framework and through the lived realities of its people. She stressed the importance of engaging with verified facts and ground-level realities rather than narratives shaped by misinformation or disinformation, including what she described as Pakistan’s information warfare concerning the region.

Her message also drew attention to a changing Jammu and Kashmir—where women are increasingly emerging as professionals, entrepreneurs, educators and community leaders, and where young people continue to pursue education, livelihoods and aspirations for the future.

Calling upon international human-rights and peace platforms to adopt a broader lens, Nazir said that Kashmir should be understood as a living society with people, aspirations and dreams, rather than being reduced solely to a geopolitical narrative.

She emphasised that the voices of people from Jammu and Kashmir, particularly women and communities working to rebuild and develop their social and economic lives, should form an important part of conversations concerning the region.

Nazir’s presentation ultimately centred on the need to recognise dignity, development, resilience and peace alongside the complex history of Jammu and Kashmir, and to allow the region’s people to articulate their own experiences and aspirations on international platforms.