Why Violence Prevails: Understanding Jihadist Recruitment and Counterterrorism in Kashmir

This thesis examines and explains why recruitment into jihadist groups in Kashmir remains (un)changed, in the wake of coercive counterterrorism and peacebuilding initiatives. For this purpose, the thesis relies on the social movement theory framework to examine transnational jihadist recruitment in Kashmir across three dominant Pakistan-based groups – the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen – within the context of enduring geopolitical contestation between India and Pakistan. To answer the original research question, the research relied on primary qualitative data, through semi-structured interviews, as well as social media data of jihadist groups, on Telegram, following which a thematic analysis of the dataset was carried out.
In so doing, the thesis argues that (un)changing recruitment is a function of interactions between jihadist groups’ organisational structure and dynamics, the social structure and inherent indoctrination in their transnational base, and the repressive political opportunities that legitimise violence and jihad, in the region. The research therefore makes an original theoretical and empirical contribution to broader literature across the following four spectrums: (a) it provides a novel concept of an “ecosystem” which operates at near-equilibrium levels, as recruitment adjusts to external shocks overtime; (b) it provides an understanding of how jihadist group organisation structures are pivotal in determining the longevity of the group as well as their ability to recruit transnationally; (c) it re-examines broad assertions in terrorism and social movement studies to provide a robust contextual understanding of framing activities undertaken by groups, as well as examining tangible pathways of recruitment and; (d) it explains how jihadist groups – and by extension recruitment into their ranks – adapt to intelligence and counterterrorism, and why such groups are unlikely to end despite extensive and coercive counterterrorism or peacebuilding initiatives.