Kashmir Conflict
Kashmir is a region in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent. The region, which is mostly populated with Pakistanis, had long been disputed between India, Pakistan, and China. Presently, India controls about 43%, Pakistan 37%, and China 20% of the region. While India consistently insisted that Kashmir had been an integral part of India for centuries, Pakistan had stated that Kashmir had been and is a disputed territory and believes that the final status of the region should be decided by the people of Kashmir. All the while, certain Kashmiri groups believe that Kashmir should be a region independent from India, Pakistan, and China. There have been several wars that have been fought between the three countries over this land. These wars took place in 1947, 1962, 1965, and 1999. While India had fought three wars over Kashmir with Pakistan, India clashed with China only once in 1962. The results of each war were ambiguous as the conflict continued to develop and remained unsolved.
A few years before this current day, in 2005, India and Pakistan agreed on limited passenger bus service in Kashmir. This service is between Srinagar, India and Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. Both these cities are at the frontier of the conflict thus making them the best option for people from either country to cross to. In 2008 there was devastating earthquake in the Pakistani administered region of Kashmir, this lead to India and Pakistan freely allowing passage for people from in and out of the region between the two nations. They allowed survivors and trucks carrying relief supplies to cross at several points along the line of control. In addition, in 2008 both countries opened cross-border trade links through the Kashmir region for the first time since the 1947 partition. At the current moment there is trade between both countries in the region by allowing trucks carrying locally produced goods such as, rice, poultry and spices to each others’ main cities. They are also allowing manufacturing plants between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, where Pakistani and Indian workers work at. This is also happening now between Rawalkot, Pakistan and Punch, India.
The future of the Kashmir region seems to be a good one. There is peace between both countries and both nations are done with the fighting. There are still many rebel groups in the region which want independence from India or Pakistan. There is steady moment of trade between the two states and now with China also wanting to start trade through this region peace is ensured for the time being. Still there is no permanent deal on who will control Kashmir and who will run it. The Indians and Pakistanis both want this land as it is the center point of Southern Asia. There should be a peaceful solution to this issue or there is high chance of war between both nations.
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