Kashmir
has been penned down in the pages of history as one the most disputed
territories. This dispute is decades old and dates back to the year 1947 when
the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir signed an agreement with both India and
Pakistan to remain neutral and independent.
India honored that agreement but Pakistan did
not. Pakistani raiders and soldiers attacked the state in 1947 forcing the
Maharaja to flee to India. The Maharaja asked India to help his people who were
being killed and looted by the Pakistani raiders. He also agreed to make Jammu
& Kashmir a part of India.
India accepted Kashmir’s annexation and Indian
troops were immediately flown to the valley. They were able to rescue a large
part of the Kashmiri territory but Pakistan too managed to retain control of a
large part of the state, which is now known as the ‘Pakistan occupied Kashmir’.
Not wanting to drag the issue further, India
went to the UN with this issue. India said that Pakistan had attacked a neutral
State and that State had now become part of India. Therefore, Pakistan should
withdraw its soldiers from the State. The United Nations agreed with the Indian
demand and asked Pakistan to withdraw its forces from Jammu & Kashmir and
called for a plebiscite. But because Pakistan never agreed, plebiscite could
never be held and Kashmir was declared a ‘disputed territory’.
Several wars and failed bilateral negotiations
later, an important question started doing the rounds of the table. ‘Why doesn’t
India simply give up Kashmir to Pakistan and put and end to this ongoing war
for ever?’
The answer had more underlying layers to it,
than one could have ever imagined not only from the legal point of view but
also from the strategic point of view. Firstly, the mountains in Kashmir
provide a natural barrier to India. With its natural barrier gone, Pakistani
army has an easy run into the Indian Territory.
Secondly comes the issue of the control of the
Indus River. The headwaters of the Indus River
are located in Kashmir. Whoever controls the headwaters, controls the river.
Neither of the states wants to give up on that.
Next, Kashmir, rightly known as the
‘Paradise of Earth’, minus the terrorism, has great potential for tourism.
Also, the issue has become a matter of political importance for both the
states.
Many attempts have been made so far but none
has ever been even close to successful.
When questioned about an option to stay or
leave India, most people from the Kashmiri community believe that they would
rather stay with India or have their own independent state but not join
Pakistan. According to a survey that appeared in Times of India, only 2% people
living in J&K want to join Pakistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans of
re-establishing Kashmiri Pandits back in Kashmir have received some stark
reactions.
Some believe there is no undoing to what has
been done while some believe that a separate area should be allocated. There
are voices that still hope for the co-existence of the two communities, on the
other hand there are others who believe that community has out grown what was
done to it, and there is only moving forward from here.
68 years of struggle with still no viable
solution visible.
Is the paradise lost or is there more to it?
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