Kashmir: Conflicts and Solution. Effects on India and the World.

Abstract

Kashmir. A word that brings both sorrow and joy to one’s heart. Joy: it is one of the most beautiful states of India. Lying between two mountain ranges, Kashmir valley is a priceless gem. Sorrow: the growing conflict between India and her neighbours as they try to lay claim over this beautiful land. Pakistan wants parts of Kashmir, China wants parts of Ladakh. Since India gained independence, all ever done at the northern border was defending our land and protecting every inch of it.

After partition of India in 1947, both India and Pakistan placed their claim on the then princely state of Jammu and Kashmir as their own. The disagreement led to the war. Since then over 70 years have passed and the conflict is yet to be resolved. Kashmir, currently, is regarded as one the most perilous regions on the planet. The countries, Pakistan and India, having fought 3 huge wars and 2 minor wars over Kashmir, haven’t been able to claim it as a whole state. Noting the fact that both Pakistan and India are now nuclear powered countries, this war might end up being a threat to world security, hence it has gained a lot of international attention.

India and Pakistan have been engaged in a 'proxy war' over Kashmir since the early 1990s. The start of the proxy war has reduced diplomatic ties between the two countries to an all-time low, and has played a major role in South Asia's explicit nuclearization in 1998. It has further harmed regional unity chances and fuelled worries of a possible catastrophic nuclear confrontation between India and Pakistan. As a result, there has never been a greater pressing need to resolve the Kashmir conflict than now. This paper aims at understanding the conflict, the effects of it and solution to the conflict