Framing Kashmir: An Analysis through the Lens of War and Peace Journalism

Even after seven decades, the long-running Kashmir conflict between nuclear foes India and Pakistan remains unresolved, resulting in three major military battles. Using conflict expert Johan Galtung's theoretical frameworks of war journalism and peace journalism, this study investigates the dominant media and political narratives that have affected the Kashmir debate. The primary questions addressed are: What are the distinguishing characteristics of war journalism, and how has this influenced the Kashmir debate? How may adopting a peace journalism frame contribute to conflict resolution? Extensive scholarly study reveals deep-rooted inclinations in war media, such as jingoism, retribution-driven tales, and the deliberate exclusion of moderate voices, all of which have resulted in public opinion division. The article proposes for significant changes in how issues are presented, emphasizing the need of taking into account the human aspects of people involved. It also advocates studying disputes through the lens of systemic violence and investigating nonviolent and ethical resolutions. The remark emphasizes the challenge of precisely predicting the impact of framing in complex and asymmetric conflicts. However, it underlines the critical necessity of inclusive and conciliatory discourse in promoting favorable political outcomes.