Do you think India and Pakistan can ever become BFFs like before the partition?
Well, the answer to this question is quite subjective and is dependent on time. It is well-known that Pakistan was a part of India before the partition.
What is the issue?
The main issue of the conflict of India and Pakistan over Kashmir started right after the partition in 1947 (Gabby, 2020). This was the initiation of the wars between India and Pakistan over Kashmir as both the country demanded Kashmir. The Indo-Pakistan War in 1971 was another fuel in the fire that continued this long-running war between the two countries (Bhat, 2021).
What is the hype about Kashmir?
Kashmir is a state of beauty and is known as the “Heaven on Earth” for its immensely beautiful landscape. The rich culture and the scenic beauty of Kashmir is the main attraction of this state. Other popular things about Kashmir include Kashmiri wool, Shawls, and carpets.
f
(Source: Britannica, 2021)
What is the current condition of Kashmir?
The violence in Kashmir for over 30 years has been continuing against the Indian rule by the separatist insurgency. Article 370 in the Indian constitution has a certain number of privileges for the administrations of Kashmir governance. These privileges include the separate constitution of Kashmir, separate laws for Kashmir. Moreover, the Kashmir government can make different rules on fundamental rights and have property ownership on its own (Bbc.com 2021).
The election of 2014 was a major setback for Kashmir as the ruling party Bhartiya Janata Party with its leader, Narendra Modi, was tough on Kashmir. The party’s strong ‘Hindutva’ beliefs were a matter of great concern for the larger portion of the Kashmiri Muslims (Bbc.com 2021). This also led to increased tensions in the princely state and resulted in a riot in 2016 (Britanicca.com 2021). This initiated the violation of article 370, and the Centre started to govern the state directly. This further increased a lot of tension in the state and resulted in the removal of the special privileges of the state.
Things got fired up when a suicide bomber killed as many as 40 Indian CRPF on 14th February of 2019 in Pulwama (Britanicca.com 2021). The bomber was identified to be sent by Pakistan, and the Indian government was forced to take action against this dreadful activity.
(Source: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/why-the-war-between-india-and-pakistan-for-kashmir-burns-on)
This resulted in the violation of the line of control by India and airstrikes to destroy Pakistan’s training camp.
The reaction of Kashmiris Over the conflict
(Source: Bbc.com 2021)
The long-run political unrest increased the number of terror groups within the state. The people of Indian Kashmir are often in the dilemma of deciding their friendship with India and Pakistan. Kashmiri has a fraught relationship with the Indian army, which increased after the change of Article 370 (Asoori, 2020). Kashmiris thought that the BJP being a strict believer in Hinduism will do injustice to the Kashmiri Muslims. This is also the reason for increased rebels within the areas (Filkins, 2019).
The India-Pakistan situation is still to the same extent as it was in the 1900s, but the only change that happened is the innovative types of conflicts between the two countries.
So, when do you think the conflict is going to cease?
Reference List
Asoori, P. (2020) A Look into the Conflict Between India and Pakistan Over Kashmir.https://www.e-ir.info/2020/10/07/a-look-into-the-conflict-between-india-and-pakistan-over-kashmir/[Accessed 19th November 2021]
Bbc.com (2021) Article 370: What happened with Kashmir and why it matters?https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49234708[Accessed 19th November 2021]
Bhat, S.A. (2021) Feudal Kashmir, the Princely State and Beginnings of Reform Efforts. KASHMIR after 2019, p.178.https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4d9EEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT91&dq=Ill-will+between+India+and+Pakistan+and+frequent+tensions+between+India+and+Pakistan+over+Kashmir&ots=q5RbR6oNyN&sig=VzKoWVZInisfE79mo7btHaKdieI&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Ill-will%20between%20India%20and%20Pakistan%20and%20frequent%20tensions%20between%20India%20and%20Pakistan%20over%20Kashmir&f=false[Accessed 19th November 2021]
Britanicca (2021) Kashmir.https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent[Accessed 19th November 2021]
Filkins, D. (2019) Why the war for Kashmir burns on.https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/why-the-war-between-india-and-pakistan-for-kashmir-burns-on[Accessed 19th November 2021]
Gabbay, S.M. (2020) India’s Muslims and Hindu Nationalism. Int’l J. Soc. Sci. Stud., 8, p.51.https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/327332303.pdf[Accessed 19th November 2021]
