Telephone networks and the internet were cut off in the region in the days before the presidential order was announced. Public gatherings were banned, and tens of thousands of troops were sent in. Tourists were told to leave Kashmir under warnings of a terror threat. Two former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir - the Indian state which encompasses the disputed territory - were placed under house arrest. One of them, Mehbooba Mufti, said the move would "make India an occupational force in Jammu and Kashmir," and that "today marks the darkest day in Indian democracy".
Pakistan fiercely condemned the development, branding it "illegal" and vowing to "exercise all possible options" against it. It downgraded diplomatic ties with India and suspended all trade. India responded by saying they "regretted" Pakistan's statement and reiterating that Article was an internal matter as it did not interfere with the boundaries of the territory.
Within Kashmir, opinions about the territory's rightful allegiance are diverse and strongly held. Many do not want it to be governed by India, preferring either independence or union with Pakistan instead. Critics of the BJP fear this move is designed to change the state's demographic make-up of - by giving people from the rest of the country to right to acquire property and settle there permanently.
Ms Mufti told the BBC: "They just want to occupy our land and want to make this Muslim-majority state like any other state and reduce us to a minority and disempower us totally. Feelings of disenfranchisement have been aggravated in Indian-administered Kashmir by high unemployment, and complaints of human rights abuses by security forces battling street protesters and fighting insurgents.
Anti-India sentiment in the state has ebbed and flowed since , but the region witnessed a fresh wave of violence after the death of year-old militant leader Burhan Wani in July He died in a battle with security forces, sparking massive protests across the valley.
Wani - whose social media videos were popular among young people - is largely credited with reviving and legitimising the image of militancy in the region. Thousands attended Wani's funeral, which was held in his hometown of Tral, about 40km 25 miles south of the city of Srinagar. Following the funeral, people clashed with troops and it set off a deadly cycle of violence that lasted for days. More than 30 civilians died, and others were injured in the clashes.
Since then, violence has been on the rise in the state. More than people were killed in - including civilians, security forces and militants - the highest toll in a decade.
India and Pakistan did indeed agree a ceasefire in after years of bloodshed along the de facto border also known as the Line of Control. According to India, Kashmir in its entirety belongs to India, and both Pakistan and China are falsely laying claim on Indian territories. India views the instrument of accession that was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh as legally binding, hence legally and fairly giving India Kashmir.
India does not have access to Central Asian and European countries directly through the land without it. The Siachen Glacier is the only barrier between Pakistan and China. In the face of a conflict, without Kashmir, China and Pakistan could combine forces, gravely endangering India.
Additionally, in , Pakistan ceded the Shaksgam valley and Gilgitto China. This region was originally a part of Pakistan administered Kashmir [14]. Some claim that this was done in order to undermine India and in order to allow Chinese military presence in Kashmir. While India does not accept this, it is nonetheless threatened.
With China and Pakistan strengthening ties, increasing Chinese and Pakistani troops has made this region increasingly important. There has also been a surge of Indian nationalism lately, especially with the nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party coming to power in with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm [15]. Since the inception of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the region and India have faced numerous terrorist attacks, both by outside terrorist groups and by local insurgents.
In , insurgents from this region along with terrorists from outside attacked the Indian Parliament, killing many.
There have been many incidents such as this. The result of this has been the deaths of thousands of civilians and Indian soldiers. This has led to feelings of resentment amongst the Indian people. Since many of these terrorists have their camps in Pakistan, this anger is directed towards Pakistan [16]. The Indian people have been longing for these deaths to stop and for the government to decisively deal with these acts of terror. The Indian people have also developed feelings of anger and resentment towards primarily Pakistan but also China for illegally taking over their territory.
They believe Kashmir in its entirety belongs to India and severe action must be taken. Historically, Pakistan believes that Kashmir was illegitimately ceded to India by a ruler who did not represent the people. Additionally, since a majority of the Muslim majority states went to Pakistan, they believe Kashmir should belong to them. However, Kashmir is also important to Pakistan for strategic reasons [17]. As mentioned, Kashmir has a plethora of resources. Moreover, Pakistan is largely dependent on the Kashmiri Rivers.
If India has complete control over Kashmir, it could potentially paralyze Pakistani agriculture and induce droughts. Kashmir is the only direct link between Pakistan and China. China being a strong ally makes this important, both for military reasons and for economic development. Losing Kashmir would deny this direct link to Pakistan. This direct link with China has been largely beneficial in terms of economic development.
Additionally, if India has complete control over Kashmir, India could move a large number of troops to the edge of the border, posing a large threat to Pakistani security.
Losing Kashmir would not only cut off access to help from China but also have Indian troops present very close to important cities in Pakistan. This could prove devastating in the time of conflict. Hence, Pakistan believes they will be at the mercy of India if Kashmir is lost.
The general view of the people on this issue seems to be against India. However, there is a sizable population that is rather tired of this conflict and criticized the government for investing a lot of its resources in the Kashmiri conflict.
The Pakistani administration has maintained the view that Pakistan cannot lose Kashmir. They maintain that India has no legal or moral right over Kashmir and that Kashmir is rightly theirs. Subsequently, they are calling for UN mediation in the region.
The Kashmiri perspective is one that has been largely ignored. This conflict is one that has stemmed due to the fact that there are those that believe Maharaja Hari Singh ceding Kashmir to India was unlawful as he did not represent the majority.
Before the partition, Kashmir had approximately 4 million people. Even before the time of the partition, there was a rising movement against the ruler. However, later on, the Conference lost its steam and lost a majority of its followers, causing Abdullah to embrace secularism. Abdullah remained a prominent leader. Later on, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the future prime minister of Pakistan, and Abdullah became fierce adversaries. This relationship with Jinnah led him to become an ally of the Indian leaders.
After the partition of India and Pakistan, Kashmir signed a standstill agreement with both the nations while they decided their fate. However, with the Pakistani tribesmen attacking India, Abdullah, as a representative to the Maharaja, went to India and sought its help, leading to Kashmir being ceded to India. Before the invasion, the situation in Kashmir was ambivalent. However, there were also those who willed to go to either India or Pakistan.
Later on, in , Abdullah was arrested for trying to create an independent Kashmir and having clandestine meetings with foreign powers. But peace did not ensue. There are also reports that indicate that many of the Kashmiri officials had become corrupt. In , Pakistan invaded Kashmir, following a military coup that overthrew the democratic government. The result of this was the rise of anti-Pakistan feelings in Kashmir. By this time, Kashmiri leaders seemed to have changed their tune, with many contents with their accession to India.
Beginning in , there was a rapid Islamization of Kashmir. Names of cities were changed and propaganda was spread. This was the beginning of the violence in the region. The first large-scale act of violence was the exodus of the Kashmiri Hindus [20]. Thousands of Kashmiri Hindus were killed and forced to flee by Muslim mobs and Hindu temples were destroyed. Before this exodus, there were about , Hindus living in the region.
By the end of it, there were only around to remaining. There was a spread of radical Islam, where violence was encouraged against those of other religions. Children were recruited by insurgency groups and trained in violence. People were encouraged to sell their belongings in order to finance the purchases of weapons.
Thus, began the coming decades of violence and propaganda led by insurgency groups. But India has held firm that Kashmir is part of India, under central government control, worsening already bad relations between India and Pakistan. That never happened, because the Pakistani military overthrew Ali Bogra in Several more Pakistani military regimes have interrupted Pakistani democracy since then.
India believes these non-democratic regimes lack credibility to negotiate with it. Terrorism is another critical factor making the Kashmir situation more complex.
Several radical Islamist groups, including Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed , operate in Kashmir, based primarily on the Pakistani side. Since the late s the terrorist groups have conducted targeted strikes and attacks on Indian government and military facilities , leading the Indian military to retaliate in Pakistani territory. Pakistan then alleges that India has breached the borderline , defying international treaties like the Simla Agreement to conduct its anti-terror attacks.
In many cases, treaties and international court decisions cannot be enforced. There is no international police force to help implement international law. If a country ignores an International Court of Justice ruling, the other party in that court case may have recourse to the Security Council, which can pressure or even sanction a nation to comply with international law. India fears that this could lead to history repeating itself. When another superpower, the Soviet Union, left Afghanistan some 30 years ago, intense terrorism in Kashmir immediately followed, as those who fought the Soviets turned to India.
Over the years, Pakistan has unilaterally changed the status of other territories it occupies in the greater Kashmir region, namely Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. India protested the change.
Islamabad now has a choice. Or it can choose to cease such support and focus on its internal economic problems. Once the threat of terrorism is removed, there will surely be room for dialogue. By rooting out terrorism, Pakistan can focus on economic development and more effectively leverage its immense resources to boost its economy. This could encourage economic linkages across the region, leading to greater regional stability in the long run.
From Pakistan's perspective the Indian action constitutes a grave violation of the U.
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