The Kashmir Conflict: India vs. Pakistan
The Kashmir Conflict
Emily Nelson, Marta Shocket, Zachary Christopherson and Emma Kalmbach
Risinger, 3rd Period:
last updated on 5-14-02
The dispute over Kashmir began in 1947 at the separation of India into India and Pakistan. The division was established by the then British rulers as they declared the nations independent. Kashmir was an oddity, a primarily Muslim state with a Hindu leader (Hari Singh). Singh acceeded to India, against the best wishes of the people, according to Pakistan. Four separate wars have been fought as well as multiple military confrontations.
India claims that the disputed Kashmir/Jammu territories wish to acceed to India, counter to the beliefs of Pakistan which claim that the territory is theirs to begin with. Religious entities within the two primarily secular nations claim that the dispute is not one of territory, but rather a struggle for religious right and freedom.
Multiple rebel insurgencies have formed in the Kashmir area on both sides of the conflict. Most of these are terrorist organizations, including Al-Faran (fighting for Kashmir to become a part of Pakistan), and Lashkar-e-Taiba (a Muslim organization calling for the expansion of their "Jihad" into the rest of India and the surrounding area).
Currently Pakistan, led by Pervez Musharraf, and India, led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, have been under a cease-fire for two years, despite their active war efforts against one another. The first free elections in 23 years have recently taken place in the Kashmir/Jammu region, but have been denounced as rigged in India's favor by the Pakistani government.
History |
Current Situation |
Timeline |
Weapons |
Nuclear Scare |
Key Players |
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