Kashmir

Kashmir is the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, where the world's first-, second-, and sixth-most populous countries are all wedged into each other. It is currently occupied by three nations. The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are occupied by India, "Azad"Azad means "free" in Hindustani. Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are occupied by Pakistan (known popularly as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir), and Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract (Shaksgam Valley) are occupied by China.Kashmir Region Britannica. ND. Being a large and diverse region, India has several hot spots, but none is so persistent as the disputes over Kashmir.
After spending centuries being tossed around like a football between Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist rulers, Kashmir was annexed by the Sikhs. The Sikhs, in turn, came under the rule of the British Empire, becoming one of the princely states which comprised the Raj. This lasted until 1947 when the British Raj was divided between Muslim and Hindu majority areas. India and Pakistan both claimed Kashmir. The region is still disputed, and it's a big part of why India and Pakistan hate each other. China, for its part, is an ally of Pakistan and an enemy of India too. Unfortunately, all three countries involved have nuclear weapons.
==A brief, sad history==
===Fighting over Kashmir===
thumb|left|165px|Siachin
When India and Pakistan won independence in 1947, Muslims and Hindus largely went their own ways in their respective countries. However, areas with religiously diverse populations had to actually pick a team. One of those princely states was called Jammu and Kashmir, which had been annexed by the British after the First The state's ruler, Maharajah Hari Singh, preferred to take a stab at remaining independent of both, and to this end, he played the diplomacy game to bounce the big boys off of one another.Mehr Chand Mahajan (1963). Looking Back. Bombay: Asia Publishing House (Digitalized by Google at the University of Michigan). p. 162. ISBN 978-81-241-0194-0. ISBN 81-241-0194-9. This didn't work out as he hoped. Kashmir's Islamic majority rose up in rebellion almost immediately, and Pakistan's Pashtun tribesmen decided to settle the issue by hopping across the border to take that shit for themselves.Marin, Steve (2011). Alexander Mikaberidze, ed. Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 394. ISBN 978-1598843361. Singh asked India to save him, and the Indians only responded on the condition that he join their country. India sent the troops, and the world got the First Kashmir War.Indo-Pakistani Conflict of 1947-48 Globalsecurity.org. ND. A little over a year (and five thousand corpses) later, the UN managed to mediate a truce that created a "Line of Control" between Indian and Pakistani forces.Prasad, S.N.; Dharm Pal (1987). History of Operations in Jammu and Kashmir 1947–1948. New Delhi: History Department, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. (printed at Thomson Press (India) Limited). p. 418. Having come away with two-thirds of Kashmir, India decided they won.Wilcox, Wayne Ayres (1963), Pakistan: The Consolidation of a Nation, Columbia University Press, p. 66, ISBN 978-0-231-02589-8, The war for states had not only ended in Indian military victory but had given its leaders enormous self-confidence and satisfaction over a job well done. No one claimed the Siachen glacier because why the fuck would anyone want a useless chunk of ice at an altitude where no one can breathe? Just wait.
===Fighting over Tibet===
After the Chinese Civil War, Mao focused on stomping into Tibet.Tibet through Chinese Eyes The Atlantic.PETER HESSLER FEB 1, 1999 . Tibet had previously claimed part of Kashmir, called Aksai Chin, and the Chinese decided they'd like to have that bit too, thank you very much. After India granted asylum to the Dalai Lama, tensions flared,India China War of 1962 Times of India. Nov 21, 2016. and the lack of a settlement over the territory led to the in 1962. After another five thousand dead people, China declared a unilateral cease-fire. India still claims Aksai Chin, but they seem prepared to accept the loss,India 'ready to let China keep Aksai Chin' if neighbour country drops claim to Arunachal Pradesh Daily Mail. SAURABH SHUKLA, 28 November 2013 probably because Aksai Chin is an arid goddamn salt flat.Lost in Dispute: 7 Beautiful Places near India-China Border To screw them a bit more, India's two enemies signed the where the two countries traded some land and did a high five.
===Fighting over Kashmir, again===
Still coveting that sweet, sweet land in Kashmir, Pakistan took a shot at sending spies and soldiers to infiltrate the Indian zone and attempt to spark a Muslim uprising.Riedel, Bruce O. (29 January 2013), Avoiding Armageddon: America, India, and Pakistan to the Brink and Back, Brookings Institution Press, pp. 67–, ISBN 0-8157-2409-8 This naturally sparked yet another goddamn war in the region in 1965 when India retaliated by invading the Pakistan zone. With the world powers no longer distracted by other affairs, the conflict evolved into another Cold War proxy fight between the USA and the USSR. Despite the modern American opinion of the two countries, the USA supplied aid to Pakistan — a relatively moderate Muslim state at the time and anti-communist to boot — while the USSR supplied India, honoring its unlikely alliance with the democratic, heavily capitalistic nation.The India-Pakistan War of 1965 Office of the Historian, US Dept. of State. ND. The UN once again mandated a cease-fire. Kashmir fell back into geopolitical limbo.
===Fighting over Bangladesh===
In 1971, India and Pakistan decided to go for round three. This time, the war had its roots outside Kashmir. A disputed election in Pakistan resulted in East Pakistan declaring independence and calling itself Bangladesh. The war also involved the where Pakistani forces slaughtered between 300,000 and 3,000,000 Bengalis and raped hundreds of thousands more. When the Bengalis asked for Indian assistance, India gladly took the chance to screw over their longtime foe by training and arming Bengali fighters. Pakistan retaliated by launching an air attack against Indian airfields.Indo-Pak War of 1971Globalsecurity.org. ND. Fought mostly between navies and air forces, the war resulted in an outright Indian victory,Lyon, Peter (2008). Conflict between India and Pakistan: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-57607-712-2. Pakistan's defeat in the 1971 war and emergence of independent Bangladesh dramatically transformed the power balance of South Asia forcing Pakistan to concede Bangladesh and ending any semblance of parity with India.The War That Made India a Great Power (and Destroyed Pakistan), The National Interest However, the victory did not translate into a material gain for India because the Kashmir issue remained unsettled - partly because Pakistan's leader warned the Indian diplomats that chaos and a "Versailles Syndrome" would result if India treated his country too harshly, but mainly because Tricky Dick threatened to intervene if India went any further.Indira Gandhi wanted to liberate Pakistani Kashmir: Advani, Hindustan TimesThe collapse of the Shimla Accord The Indian Express. Inder Malhotra. June 9, 2014. Once again, Kashmir fell into political limbo.
===Fighting over a glacier===
Now the Siachen glacier enters the story. The glacier wasn't handed to either country through all of this madness because, again, who would want it? However, US maps put it in Pakistan's territory for convenience, and mountain climbers tended to ask their government for permission to explore.Bob Harris. Who Hates Whom. 2007. page 108. However, in the late 1970s, India decided to go poking around Siachen, and Pakistan noticed. Then Pakistan shat a brick. Both countries agreed that a glacier three miles high was a vital military victory point. The Pakistanis flew a permanent military garrison, and India found out when their military ordered winter clothing from the same British store where Pakistan was buying their stuff. No, really.Harris. page 108. The two countries have been skirmishing over the glacier for years, but more soldiers have died from avalanches, exposure, and oxygen deprivation than from the fighting itself. The death toll is estimated to be between three and five thousand people. This is all for a glacier where soldiers can't climb three feet without stopping to catch their breath due to the atmospheric conditions. This is all for a glacier where the soldiers can't touch their gun's trigger for more than a handful of seconds without risking frostbite. While the fighting has mostly stopped, both countries maintain garrisons there just in case, to an annual cost of about half a billion dollars per year.Harris. page 109.
==Kashmir today==
Various insurgencies have also sprung up in Kashmir, seeking a merger with Pakistan, a merger with India, and outright independence depending on which one you ask. Britannica. ND. Both India and Pakistan have suffered terrorist attacks, and both nations maintain a heavy military presence in the area. Despite skirmishes and attacks continuing into the 21st century and tens of thousands of deaths due to terrorism, relations between the countries have begun to thaw slightly, beginning with opening trade routes across the Line of Control.Kashmir territories profile BBC. 3 October 2017 Terrorism still continues today, with groups recruiting from the disgruntled populace.Why Intel Sources Believe Jaish-e-Mohammed Is Surging In Kashmir Valley Even Al-Qaeda has gotten involved.Kashmir militant leader announced as head of new al-Qaida-linked cell Michael Safi The Guardian. 27 July 2017 Narendra Modi's government has recently opened talks with Pakistan and separatist groups since October 2017, so hope for a settlement is now very dim but real.India to open talks with all parties in disputed Jammu and Kashmir Michael Safi. The Guardian. 23 October 2017
Of course, neither India nor Pakistan will get the whole cake; they're gonna have to slice it in some fashion. Independence seems to be another recipe for a civil war between Hindus and Muslims. That solution would also validate separatist movements across both countries, leading to more terrorism. And finally, neither India nor Pakistan can be perceived as giving too much away to the other side.
That would be bad, too.
Modi recently moved to remove Kashmir's autonomous status, part of the very agreement that led Kashmir to join India in the first place and is currently conducting a war on India's own citizens, with numerous atrocities occurring."Mourning and Resistance to the Loss of Kashmir's Special Autonomy" - The Intercept The lockdown is being lifted, but many Kashmiris are understandably salty about the whole thing.Weekend lockdowns lifted from Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi districts
===Insurgency===
The UN-implemented truce in 1948 had come with a resolution telling India to carry out a referendum in Kashmir Valley. India did not do so. In 1953 India charged the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah, with treason and collaboration with Pakistan. The case was dumped in 1964 when Nehru died.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_Conspiracy_Case Pakistan, meanwhile, could stoke anger among the people of Kashmir. In 1955, Mirza Afzal Beg, with the help of Pakistan and patronage of the wife of then jailed Sheikh Abdullah, established the Plebiscite Front. In 1965, during the Second Kashmir War, Maqbool Bhat called for armed struggle and established the National Liberation Front. In 1971, an Indian plane was hijacked and flown to Pakistan.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Indian_Airlines_hijacking The hijackers thought that just having the plane was enough, and they released the hostages. They wanted the release of 36 of their guys in Indian prisons. Pakistan then arrested hundreds of activists.
In 1976, Amanullah Khan established the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front in Birmingham.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammu_Kashmir_Liberation_Front In 1984, they kidnapped an Indian diplomat in Birmingham, asking for Maqbool Bhat's release. But the kidnappers shot the hostage, and India killed Maqbool Bhat.
In 1984, Amanullah Khan and Hashim Qureshi traveled to Pakistan, where military dictator Zia ul-Haq wanted to unleash insurgency in Kashmir Valley. With the help of ISI, the insurgency started in 1987. They claimed the election had been rigged against United Muslim Front, an Islamic coalition. Thousands of youth traveled to Pakistan and received arms training. JKLF got a new leader in the form of Yasin Malik.
In 1989, JKLF began liquidating large numbers of Kashmiri Hindus, who were a small minority. Hundreds were killed. In January 1990, JKLF put posters across the Kashmir Valley telling Hindus to leave. As a result, 300,000-600,000 Hindus left the area, leaving only a few thousand behind.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodus_of_Kashmiri_Hindus
In 1990, the Indian Army began to enter Kashmir Valley to crush the militants. Between 1990 and 1992, nearly 2000 militants were killed. In 1992, Yasin Malik was arrested. In 1994, JKLF left the insurgency.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Army_operations_in_Jammu_and_Kashmir
Lashkar e Taiba (LeT), a group created during the Afghan War, entered the struggle in 1991. Since its leaders, Hafeez Saeed, Abdullah Azzam, etc. were not Kashmiri, the organization did not fight for independence. They only touted Pakistan's line.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lashkar-e-Taiba The UN has found the organization to be collaborating with Al-Qaeda. It is one of the most prominent rebel groups in Kashmir.https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.economictimes.com/news/defence/al-qaeda-remains-resilient-continues-to-cooperate-closely-with-let-un/amp_articleshow/70445882.cms
In December 2001, there was a terror attack in Delhi. A group of 5 militants tried to enter the Parliament. They were killed at the cost of 8 security personnel and a gardener.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Indian_Parliament_attack Indian government accused Pakistan of the attack and mobilized half a million troops at the border.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001%E2%80%9302_India%E2%80%93Pakistan_standoff India planned to invade Pakistan twice in 2002, once in January and then in June. Both times, the USA and other countries interfered. But massive artillery bombing continues. Till the demobilization in October 2002, up to 1800 Indian troops were dead. An unknown number of Pakistani troops were dead. A large number of civilians died due to mines and shelling.
In 2008, Lashkar e Toiba attacked multiple locations in Mumbai, killing 157 civilians, including many Muslims.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attackshttps://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tathagata-roy-mumbai-attacks-muslims-tweet-1396404-2018-11-26 The 9/11 conspiracy theorist Elias Davidsson wrote a 900-page book on the attacks known as 'The Betrayal of India' and theorized that RAW (India's intelligence agency) had carried out the attack.https://www.geopolitica.ru/en/article/interview-elias-davidson-author-betrayal-india
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Disputed countries
Category:Geography
Category:International relations
Category:War
Category:Nationalism
Category:History
Category:Ongoing armed conflicts
Category:Territorial disputes