The Kashmir conflict continues to be a core issue between India and Pakistan. Its roots can be traced to the partition of colonial India in 1947. This territorial dispute has sparked two wars, the last just in 1999. Currently, India and Pakistan both unequivocally lay claim to Kashmir’s territory. Yet, they each govern much of the same area, split between them by the Line of Control, one of the most militarized borders on the planet.
In 1947, when the British were withdrawing from their colonies, the Maharaja—the hereditary local ruler—of Kashmir decided to accede to India. This decision was particularly important because the region boasts one of the first Muslim-majority populations. Unfortunately, tensions are still running high. India routinely accuses Pakistan of supporting militant groups operating in Kashmir, which Pakistan, of course, denies.
From August 2019, for this unresolved country, things got worst in a spectacular manner. Indeed, the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rescinded Kashmir’s special status. This change rescinded the region’s scant autonomy, which had been established in 1949. Supporters of the ruling party welcome it as the culmination of a decades-long Hindu-nationalist agenda. It was celebrated by the Indian public at large, but it sparked a wave of outrage from Kashmiris.
Soon after this controversial revocation, the Indian government launched a total security clampdown in Indian-administered Kashmir. As federally required, numerous residents and observers raised their concerns. They felt these measures were meant to dispossess Kashmiris of their land and alter the region’s demographic character. New laws have recently been passed to enable outsiders to buy land in Kashmir for the first time. This amendment represents a momentous shift in the region’s policies. Critics saw these rules as the continuation of a long-running strategy to shrink the region’s Muslim majority.
The initial war between India and Pakistan over the question of Kashmir broke out in 1947-48. Since then, both countries have maintained an intense military buildup along the Line of Control. Once in place, this ceasefire border becomes a physical barrier. It represents their decades-long struggle that remains in the balance. In the face of so many international diplomatic initiatives trying to broker a truce, peace is still very far away.
The geographical landscape of Kashmir, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, adds another layer of complexity to the dispute. The region’s geopolitical importance is further emphasized by its abundant natural resources and its key position between two of the world’s nine proclaimed nuclear powers.