Robert Bradnock

“Yet the poll published on 26 May at Chatham House was the first ever to be taken on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC).”

“The poll was conducted by Robert Bradnock - an associate fellow at the Chatham House think-tank in London - and here he assesses the results.”

“I worked with Ipsos MORI (based in London) on the poll's design.”

“It was funded by a charitable organisation run by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.”

“Dr Gaddafi's foundation had already been funding development projects among Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan and India, and in 2002 approached me at King's College London to discuss issues surrounding t…”

“Yet when asked how important the dispute was to them personally, 80% overall said it was very important - 75% in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and 82% in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.”

“The headline figures of 44% (in Pakistani-administered Kashmir) and 43% (in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir) opting for independence, for example, conceals wide regional disparities.”

“Indeed, only 8% said that they were not in favour of the LoC in any form.”

“The poll finding that across Kashmir around one quarter are strongly opposed to changing the LoC while a further half would accept it if it is liberalised gives a strong signal that this could be a f…”

“80% overall said it was very important - 75% in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and 82% in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.”

“44% (in Pakistani-administered Kashmir) and 43% (in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir) opting for independence”

“While in the predominantly Muslim Kashmir Valley in Indian-administered Kashmir, the proportion in favour of independence ranged from 74%-95%.”

“In response to the question 'Will an end to militant violence help to end the conflict?' opinion ranged from 0% in Rajouri to 98% in Anantnag and Kathua, while in Pakistani-administered Kashmir it ra…”

“Three quarters of all Kashmiris - on both sides of the LoC - believe that all sides of Kashmiri opinion should be consulted in negotiations over the future of Kashmir.”

“Only 27% of all Kashmiris are in favour of the LoC in its present form (22% in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and 29% in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.)”

“In three districts in Kashmir valley support for the present LoC falls to 1%, while in Kargil it is 0%.”

“However, if the movement across the LoC were to be fully liberalised, support for keeping the LoC rises dramatically to 85% overall. Even in the Kashmir valley it rises to over 80%, and in Pakistani-…”

“Only 8% said that they were not in favour of the LoC in any form.”

“As the poll showed, while 8% of the total population claimed to have friends or family on the other side, less than 1% had visited the other side of the LoC in the last five years.”

“In this light it is not surprising that in Poonch and Rajouri, two key border districts in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, more than 90% are in favour of keeping the LoC.”

“The poll finding that across Kashmir around one quarter are strongly opposed to changing the LoC while a further half would accept it if it is liberalised.”

“The poll was published on 26 May at Chatham House.”

“The poll was conducted by Robert Bradnock - an associate fellow at the Chatham House think-tank in London.”