Kashmir why conflict

During the past week or so, the Indian military has also been battling rebellion in a forested area in the Jammu region, which abuts the Kashmir valley, and has lost nine soldiers — the most number of casualties in a single operation in recent years. The assassinations have spread panic among some sections of the population, with dozens of minority Hindus and migrant workers fleeing the Kashmir valley towards Jammu and other areas.

Tensions rise in recent weeks with a spate of shootings of civilians in attacks claimed by an anti-India rebel group. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are taking down accounts of Kashmiris, a report by a Kashmiri diaspora group says.

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See how people have imagined life on Mars through history. See More. United States Change. The largely important Indus River flows through Kashmir. The Indus River is extremely crucial to agriculture in Pakistan. It is especially important in the lower Indus valley region, where rainfall is uncommon.

Similarly, India depends on the Indus for irrigation. Hence, the Indus and its tributaries are highly sought after. The nation that controls this region effectively can cut off the water supply to the other. To manage these fears and ensure a fair distribution of the water from this river, the Indus Water Treaty [10] came into existence on the 19 th of September, Under this treaty, India has control over the eastern tributaries of Beas, Ravi and Sutlej, while Pakistan has control over the western rivers of Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.

However, while this treaty is in place, Pakistan still fears that in a potential conflict, India could cut off the supply, since they control the region of Kashmir through which the Indus flows. But it is important to note that in the previous wars, India did not choke off the water supply. Additionally, the glaciers provide immense amounts of freshwater to the region [11].

The Kashmiri Rivers and water bodies also have the potential to generate hydroelectricity at great magnitudes. The state of Jammu and Kashmir largely depends on hydroelectricity for its power demands. At the moment, Kashmir only produces around megawatts of electricity. However, the region has the potential to produce up to 16, megawatts of power. The Indian administration is looking to tap into this, making Kashmir an important region.

The region is also home to a plethora of resources such as uranium, gold, oil and natural gas. From a geopolitical standpoint, Kashmir is vital as well. Kashmir serves as a bridge between South Asia and Central Asia. It plays a key role in the Belt and Road initiative. The CPEC is a large-scale bilateral undertaking involving the development of infrastructure in Pakistan, the establishment of transportation networks between China and Pakistan and the creation of numerous energy projects.

Many of these projects run through the Pakistan administered Kashmir. Pakistan aims at directly connecting itself with both Central Asia and China through Kashmir. Kashmir is a central piece between three nuclear nations: India, Pakistan and China. According to India, Kashmir in its entirety belongs to India, and both Pakistan and China are falsely laying claim on Indian territories. India views the instrument of accession that was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh as legally binding, hence legally and fairly giving India Kashmir.

India does not have access to Central Asian and European countries directly through the land without it. The Siachen Glacier is the only barrier between Pakistan and China. In the face of a conflict, without Kashmir, China and Pakistan could combine forces, gravely endangering India.

Additionally, in , Pakistan ceded the Shaksgam valley and Gilgitto China. This region was originally a part of Pakistan administered Kashmir [14]. Some claim that this was done in order to undermine India and in order to allow Chinese military presence in Kashmir. While India does not accept this, it is nonetheless threatened. With China and Pakistan strengthening ties, increasing Chinese and Pakistani troops has made this region increasingly important.

There has also been a surge of Indian nationalism lately, especially with the nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party coming to power in with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm [15].

Since the inception of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the region and India have faced numerous terrorist attacks, both by outside terrorist groups and by local insurgents. In , insurgents from this region along with terrorists from outside attacked the Indian Parliament, killing many. There have been many incidents such as this. The result of this has been the deaths of thousands of civilians and Indian soldiers.

This has led to feelings of resentment amongst the Indian people. Since many of these terrorists have their camps in Pakistan, this anger is directed towards Pakistan [16]. The Indian people have been longing for these deaths to stop and for the government to decisively deal with these acts of terror. The Indian people have also developed feelings of anger and resentment towards primarily Pakistan but also China for illegally taking over their territory.

They believe Kashmir in its entirety belongs to India and severe action must be taken. Historically, Pakistan believes that Kashmir was illegitimately ceded to India by a ruler who did not represent the people.

Additionally, since a majority of the Muslim majority states went to Pakistan, they believe Kashmir should belong to them. However, Kashmir is also important to Pakistan for strategic reasons [17]. As mentioned, Kashmir has a plethora of resources. Moreover, Pakistan is largely dependent on the Kashmiri Rivers.

If India has complete control over Kashmir, it could potentially paralyze Pakistani agriculture and induce droughts. Kashmir is the only direct link between Pakistan and China. China being a strong ally makes this important, both for military reasons and for economic development. Losing Kashmir would deny this direct link to Pakistan. This direct link with China has been largely beneficial in terms of economic development.

Additionally, if India has complete control over Kashmir, India could move a large number of troops to the edge of the border, posing a large threat to Pakistani security. Losing Kashmir would not only cut off access to help from China but also have Indian troops present very close to important cities in Pakistan.

This could prove devastating in the time of conflict. Hence, Pakistan believes they will be at the mercy of India if Kashmir is lost. The general view of the people on this issue seems to be against India. However, there is a sizable population that is rather tired of this conflict and criticized the government for investing a lot of its resources in the Kashmiri conflict.

The Pakistani administration has maintained the view that Pakistan cannot lose Kashmir. They maintain that India has no legal or moral right over Kashmir and that Kashmir is rightly theirs. Subsequently, they are calling for UN mediation in the region. The Kashmiri perspective is one that has been largely ignored. This conflict is one that has stemmed due to the fact that there are those that believe Maharaja Hari Singh ceding Kashmir to India was unlawful as he did not represent the majority.

Before the partition, Kashmir had approximately 4 million people. Even before the time of the partition, there was a rising movement against the ruler. However, later on, the Conference lost its steam and lost a majority of its followers, causing Abdullah to embrace secularism. Abdullah remained a prominent leader. Later on, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the future prime minister of Pakistan, and Abdullah became fierce adversaries.

This relationship with Jinnah led him to become an ally of the Indian leaders. After the partition of India and Pakistan, Kashmir signed a standstill agreement with both the nations while they decided their fate. However, with the Pakistani tribesmen attacking India, Abdullah, as a representative to the Maharaja, went to India and sought its help, leading to Kashmir being ceded to India.

Before the invasion, the situation in Kashmir was ambivalent. However, there were also those who willed to go to either India or Pakistan. Later on, in , Abdullah was arrested for trying to create an independent Kashmir and having clandestine meetings with foreign powers. But peace did not ensue. There are also reports that indicate that many of the Kashmiri officials had become corrupt.

In , Pakistan invaded Kashmir, following a military coup that overthrew the democratic government. The result of this was the rise of anti-Pakistan feelings in Kashmir. By this time, Kashmiri leaders seemed to have changed their tune, with many contents with their accession to India. Beginning in , there was a rapid Islamization of Kashmir. Names of cities were changed and propaganda was spread. This was the beginning of the violence in the region. The first large-scale act of violence was the exodus of the Kashmiri Hindus [20].

Thousands of Kashmiri Hindus were killed and forced to flee by Muslim mobs and Hindu temples were destroyed. Before this exodus, there were about , Hindus living in the region. By the end of it, there were only around to remaining. There was a spread of radical Islam, where violence was encouraged against those of other religions. Children were recruited by insurgency groups and trained in violence. People were encouraged to sell their belongings in order to finance the purchases of weapons.