India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir. Now both are nuclear powers, and are once again on the brink of war following the Pulwama incident.
But what is the reason for this conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir?
History says that the dispute over Kashmir began even before Pakistan and India gained independence in August 1947.
The plan for the partition of British India, called the ‘Indian Independence Act’, stated that Kashmir could join either country – India or Pakistan – as it wished.
The then Hindu Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh, wanted to remain independent or join India. On the other hand, the Muslims of western Jammu and Gilgit-Baltistan wanted to join Pakistan.
In October 1947, Hari Singh, faced with attacks by Pakistani Pashtun tribal forces, signed a treaty of accession to India, and received military support from India. This eventually led to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, which lasted for almost two years.
India raised the Kashmir issue in the United Nations Security Council in 1948.
UN Resolution 47 called for a referendum in Kashmir, the withdrawal of Pakistani troops, and the reduction of India’s military presence to a minimum.
A ceasefire in Kashmir came into effect in 1948, but Pakistan refused to withdraw its troops. Since then, Kashmir has been effectively divided into two parts, controlled by Pakistan and India.
On the other hand, China established control over the Aksai Chin region of Kashmir during the 1962 Sino-Indian War, and the following year, Pakistan ceded the Trans-Karakoram region of Kashmir to China.
Since then, control of Kashmir has been divided between three countries – Pakistan, India, and China.
The Second Indo-Pakistani War was fought in 1965, followed by another ceasefire agreement. This was followed by the Third Indo-Pakistani War in 1971 and the Simla Agreement in 1972, which finalized the current ‘Line of Control’. In 1984, India took control of the Siachen Glacier area – which is not marked by the Line of Control.
Apart from that, in 1999, Indian forces engaged in another brief but bitter conflict against Pakistan-backed forces. Both countries had acquired nuclear weapons before the ‘Kargil crisis’ of 1999.
Why is there so much conflict and violence in Indian-administered Kashmir?
Many in this part of Kashmir do not want the area to remain under Indian rule. They want either complete independence or accession to Pakistan.
More than 60 percent of the population of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir is Muslim, making it the only state in India where Muslims are in the majority.
Unemployment is extremely high here, and the security forces’ harsh policy in suppressing street protests and insurgents has made the situation worse.
Insurgency in Kashmir began on a large scale with the rise of an organization called JKLF after the disputed local elections in 1987.
India accuses Pakistan of sending fighters from across the border – but Pakistan denies it.
The state has gone through ups and downs of violent insurgency since 1989.
However, after 22-year-old militant leader Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces in July 2016, widespread protests spread across the valley.
Burhan Wani was active on social media and his videos were popular among the youth. He is believed to have played a key role in reviving militancy in the region and giving it a ‘just image’.
Thousands of people gathered for Burhan Wani’s funeral in the town of Tral, 25 miles from the capital Srinagar. Clashes with soldiers broke out after the funeral, and more than 30 civilians were killed in days of violence.
The state has been plagued by sporadic violence since then, with more than 500 civilians, security forces and militants killed in 2018 – the highest number in a decade.
Hopes for peace in Kashmir have faded time and again.
Kashmir is now divided along the Line of Control (the India-Pakistan border). In addition, China controls Aksai Chin and another part north of the Siachen Glacier.
After much bloodshed between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control, the two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 2003.
Pakistan later pledged to stop funding the Kashmiri rebels, while India offered to pardon the rebels if they stopped their militant activities.
After the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, it pledged to take a tougher policy towards Pakistan, but also showed interest in peace talks.
The then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, also attended Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in Delhi as a guest.
But a year later, an attack on the Indian air base at Pathankot in Punjab – which India blamed on Pakistan-based groups – led Mr Modi to cancel a planned visit to Islamabad. Since then, there has been no progress in talks between the two countries.
So has Kashmir returned to its previous state?
In 2018, the Indian-administered state of Kashmir was ruled by a coalition government led by the People’s Democratic Party – in which the BJP was a partner. But in June, the BJP withdrew from the alliance, and the state has been under direct rule from Delhi ever since, fueling further anger there.
Multiple military bases have been attacked in Indian-administered Kashmir since 2016.
Tensions have recently flared between Pakistan and India following the killing of more than 40 paramilitary police personnel in a militant attack in Pulwama last week.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that if India takes military action against Pakistan, Pakistan will also take countermeasures.
India says it will make every effort to diplomatically isolate Pakistan from the international community.
It seems that whatever hope there was for improving relations between the two countries may have ended with the Pulwama attack.
