Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Jammu and Kashmir's forgotten minorities: a mosaic of identities
Jammu and Kashmir used to be a big state in India with many different groups of people.
Most people talked about it as if only one group lived there, the people of the Kashmir Valley.
But there were also Dogras, Gujjars, Bakarwals, Ladakhis, and many other communities.
Each group has its own history, culture, and hopes.
During a war in 1999, Bakarwal shepherds helped the Indian Army by telling them about strange movements in the mountains.
But later, after a terrible crime against a little Bakarwal girl in 2018, some people unfairly blamed the whole community.
Ladakhis were sometimes called 'Chinese' just because of how they looked, even though they are Indian.
A famous teacher and engineer named Sonam Wangchuk was called 'anti-national' for asking the government to keep its promises.
The article says we should listen to each community's own story instead of lumping them all together.
Understanding everyone's differences makes a country stronger.
The former state of Jammu and Kashmir was a mosaic of communities - Dogras, Gujjars, Bakarwals, Ladakhis, Baltis, Brokpas, Changpas, and Purigis - not a single political bloc.
The article argues that national and international commentary long treated the Kashmir Valley as representing the entire state, erasing other communities' histories.
During the 1999 Kargil War, Bakarwal shepherds alerted the Indian Army to suspicious movements that helped expose Pakistani intrusions.
After the 2018 rape and murder of an eight-year-old Bakarwal girl in Kathua, public discourse cast suspicion on the nomadic community.
Ladakhis have faced racial stereotyping and 'pro-China' insinuations, while activist Sonam Wangchuk was accused of being 'anti-national' for demanding constitutional safeguards.
- Who
- The minority communities of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir - including Dogras, Gujjars, Bakarwals, Ladakhis, Baltis, Brokpas, Changpas, and Purigis - whose histories and aspirations have been overshadowed by a Valley-centric narrative.
- What
- An analysis arguing that the former state's diverse communities have been simplified, stereotyped, and conflated with the Kashmir conflict, and that recognizing this diversity is a democratic imperative.
- When
- The article spans events from the founding of the princely state in 1846 through the 1999 Kargil War, the 2018 Kathua case, and Ladakh's 2019 reorganization.
- Where
- The former state of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Kashmir Valley, Jammu, Ladakh, and Kargil.
- Why
- Because large political narratives tend to flatten smaller identities, leaving communities outside the Valley invisible or inheriting suspicions from conflicts not their own.
Valley-Centric Narrative
Non-Valley Community Perspectives
Representing the region
Valley-Centric Narrative
National media, television debates, and academic literature treated the Kashmir Valley's politics as the political grammar of the entire state.
Non-Valley Community Perspectives
Communities outside the Valley - Dogras, Gujjars, Bakarwals, and Ladakhis - argue their distinct histories, aspirations, and political preferences were flattened or ignored.
Ladakh's political status
Valley-Centric Narrative
Ladakh's politics was often interpreted through the same lens as the Kashmir dispute, and critics accused figures like Sonam Wangchuk of being 'anti-national' or 'pro-China.'
Non-Valley Community Perspectives
Ladakhis sought greater administrative autonomy and closer integration with India, focusing on governance, cultural preservation, environmental protection, and constitutional safeguards.
Dissent from peripheral regions
Valley-Centric Narrative
As Wangchuk's criticism of the government's perceived failure to fulfill promises grew, his participation in protests was met with accusations of disloyalty and institutional self-interest.
Non-Valley Community Perspectives
Supporters view such dissent as democratic disagreement, and the article argues the accusations recast legitimate criticism from a peripheral region as disloyalty.
- Author
- Bhopinder Singh, Lt Gen (Retd), former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry
- Princely state founded
- 1846 under Maharaja Gulab Singh
- Accession to India
- 1947
- Kargil War
- 1999 - Bakarwal shepherds alerted the Indian Army to intrusions
- Kathua case
- 2018 - rape and murder of an eight-year-old Bakarwal girl
- Ladakh reorganization
- 2019 - followed by demands for constitutional safeguards
- Communities covered
- Dogras, Gujjars, Bakarwals, Ladakhis, Baltis, Brokpas, Changpas, Purigis, Kashmiri Sikhs, Kargilis
- Key figure
- Sonam Wangchuk - engineer, educator, environmentalist, and Ladakh activist