Kashmir Conflict Essay, Research Paper

Kashmir conflict:

The issue of territory is one factor that has lead to conflict between India and Pakistan. It is one of the most intractable and long standing conflicts in the world.

The problem of Kashmir arose because maharaja hari singh was unable to makeup his mind to which dominion the state of Kashmir should accede to or whether to accede at all.

History:

When British India was given its independence , India was supposed to be divided into two countries.i.e India and Pakistan. all areas which have more than 70% Muslims were suppose to go Pakistan. the rest would be India. However the princely states would be left to decide on their own . they could join India or Pakistan or remain independent. But the local Kashmiris who did not want to be part of India started causing riots and agitations in Kashmir. As a result ,the maharaja of Kashmir joined India and requested the assistance of the Indian army . the Indian army arrived immediately the some day , and Pakistan attacked the next day.

The maharaja of Kashmir had no right to call in the Indian army, because the maharaja of Kashmir was not a heredity ruler. He was merely a British appointee. There had been no such position as the maharaja of Kashmir prior to British rule. Finally the agreement was made that any areas more then 70% Muslims would go to Pakistan Kashmir has more than 90% Muslims and therefore clearly should have been part of Pakistan.

The state of Kashmir was dependent for all its imported supplies like salt, sugar, petrol and other necessities of life on their safe and continued tourists through areas that would form part of Pakistan. the tourists transit traffic which was a major source of income and revenue could only come via Rawalpindi. The only route available for the export of its valuable fruit was Jhelum river which ran into Pakistan. This is another reason that Kashmir should be part of Pakistan.

Threats:

Government officials and political leaders from India have made numerous bellicose threats, while both Indian and Pakistani troops have exchanged artillery, mortar and small arms of fire along the Line of Control in Kashmir the Himalayan region that was at the center of two of the three Indo-Pak wars.

Response of government:

Speaking to reporters May 18, Indian Home Minister L.K. Advani warned that Pakistan will face “dire consequences” if it continues to support a separatist insurgency in Kashmir. Added Advani, India’s “decisive step to become a nuclear state has brought about a qualitatively new stage in Indo-Pak relations, particularly in finding a lasting solution to the Kashmir problem.” The Home Minister said the Indian government may soon give its troops a green light to engage in “hot pursuit” of the Kashmiri rebels, that is to cross into the Pakistani-held part of Kashmir.

Unquestionably, an important aspect of the BJP’s aggressive stance against Pakistan is the calculation that Pakistan will find it much more difficult to sustain an arms race. Not only is Pakistan less self-sufficient and therefore less able to withstand international sanctions; it has a much weaker economy. About 80 percent of Pakistan’s national budget is spent on the military and on financing its $43 billion foreign debt.