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Explanation
There have been several wars since independence in 1947.
During British rule the two countries were part of the same
territory. The sudden split into two countries left several disputed
frontiers, especially in Kashmir and at the Rann of Cutch.
Also, although many Muslims migrated from India to Pakistan
(a large proportion being massacred on the way) and almost all
the Hindus to India, there is still a large Muslim minority in
India. Riots against them can lead to tension with Pakistan.
India exploded at least one nuclear device in 1974 and seven
in 1998 and Pakistan then also tested nuclear weapons, possibly
paid for by oil-rich Arab countries.
Pakistani troops, possibly Afghan Talibans, occupied high
mountain Indian positions during the early months of 1999. They
were ejected after a period of artillery fire.
Following the war in Afghanistan after the World Trade Center
attack in September 2001 the tension between India and Pakistan
intensified, exacerbated by an attack in the Indian Parliament,
possibly by Kashmiri activists. Only western diplomacy may have
averted an all-out war. The situation is still tense (early 2002).
By 2005 the two governments seem to be determined on peace
and rail and bus links have been opened across the borders.
Terrorist attacks on trains in Bombay (Mumbai), and in hotels and railway stations, seem to be directed by dissident groups in Pakistan (Lashkar e Taiba). Possibly Lashkar wishes to provoke a further war between India and Pakistan, but so far has failed as both governments have cooperated, to some extent, in catching the instigators.
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