Kashmir Conflict

The Kashmiri conflict is a major conflict between India and Pakistan and is the major cause of destabilization in the South Asian region.

Start Of The Conflict

When the partition occurred princely states had to choose weather they wanted to join Pakistan or India. Kashmir was at a complex situation where the people of Kashmir [mostly Muslim] opposed the Maharajah [Hari Singh] and wanted to join the newly created muslim-dominated pakistan. During the uncertain times which surrounded Partition in 1947, a revolt against the rule of the Maharajah broke out in the town of Poonch. The Poonch rebels formally declared themselves to be the state of Azad (Free) Kashmir. Fearing a successful revoulution, Maharaja Sir Hari Singh acceded to India on 27 October, 1947. Included in the Instrument of Accession was a special clause requiring a plebiscite to determine the wishes of the people once law and order had been reestablished. There is some question as to the chronology of the accession and of Indian intervention, including the fact that the Patiala brigade, officially troops of the Indian Union after that state's accession, was in Jammu and Kashmir prior to the accession of Jammu and Kashmir. These questions of timing and the need for a plebiscite lead to significant doubts about India's claim to the absolute legality of the Maharaja's accession in 1947. When informed of Kashmir's accession to India by the Hindu Raja [king] despite the muslims population's resistance, Pakistan's General-Governer Muhammad Ali Jinnah deemed the accession illegitimate and ordered the Pakistani army to enter Kashmir. However, Gen. Auchinleck, the supreme commander of all British officers informed Jinnah that if Pakistan's army persisted in kashmir, Auchinleck would remove all British officers from both sides. As Pakistan had a greater proportion of Britons holding senior command, Jinnah cancelled his order, but protested to the United Nations to intercede. Jinnah insisted that Indian troops must be withdrawn before a plebiscite could have any meaning, but Nehru insisted that, since the Maharaja's accession was legal and permanent, the Indians had a right to be in Jammu and Kashmir. During this diplomacy, the Gilgit region threw off the Maharaja's rule and declared itself a part of Pakistan. By May 1948, Indian forces began to press back the rebels and push towards the Poonch-West Punjab border. Seeing the Indian troops moving towards sovereign Pakistan, General Gracey allowed Pakistani regulars to officially assist the Azad Kashmir government, though at no stage during the first Kashmir war were Indian regulars out-numbered by Pakistani regulars. With the entry of Pakistani troops into the area, the first Indo-Pakistani war over Kashmir officially began.

India's Double Standards

India states that Pakistan does not have the right over Kashmir since the Maharajah acceded with India even if the majority of the Kashmiri Population was/is Muslim. Around the same time of this statement the Nawab of Junagadh who was a Muslim ruler acceded to Pakistan and India did not allow that and invaded Junagadh stating that the maharajah has no right to do that as most of the population of Junagadh was/is hindu. Pakistan protested saying that if India could acquire Kashmir (with an overwhelming Muslim majority) because its ruler had decided to accede to India, then Pakistan could claim Junagadh. Pakistan's protests went in vain. Also the Nizam of Hydrabad [India] also wanted to join Pakistan but the Indian government did not allow it to do so and invaded Hydrabad in 1948. Once again Pakistan was cheated...

Pak-Indo Wars Over Kashmir

Pakistan and India have fought 3 wars over Kashmir with Pakistan even with a much smaller Army freed roughly 1/3 of the region from India. The region still remains today as a disputed territory.

Kashmiri Resistance to Indian Rule

Throughout 60 years of Indian occupation of Kashmir the Kashmiri people have resisted the Indian rule. Violent groups have emerged in Kashmir valley near the late 80s to the early 21st century to fight the Indian troops [nearly 700,000 have been stationed in Indian Held Kashmir [IHK]]. The radical ways of these groups have lost influence over the last few years and the Kashmiri population is now holding peaceful protests throughout the region to end Indian suppression of the Kashmiri people and to kick India out of the region with more than hundreds of thousands of people showing up to support the rallies and chanting anti-India slogans while waiving Paksitani flags. According to the U.N resolutions India has to give the Kashmiri people a choice to weather join India or Pakistan or remain independent but India has yet to fulfill its promise and give the Kashmiri people their right to choose. India has recently held elections in the disputed region with a 65% turnout even after the boycotting of the election by several Kashmiri separatist groups. India states that as a success but several Kashmiris voters has been quoted saying that "that does not effect the fact that we want to be free from Indian rule."

Genocide In IHK

For more than 60 years of the Indian occupation of Kashmir the indian army has violated many human rights and performed a genocide to suppress the Kashmiri population.

From January 1989 The Indian army has
- Killed over 90,000 Kashmiri People
- Arrested 115,972 civilians
- Destroyed/Arsoned 105,682 Structures
- Widowed over 22,000 women
- Orphaned over 107,000 children
- Gang raped & molested 9,850 women

These violations of human rights by the Indian army continue even today. The Indian government and media has tried its best to hide this from the world [even its people] but many Kashmiri and Pakistani organizations in the world and the Pakistani and Azad Kashmir governments have publicized this inhuman act.

The Kashmiri people even to this day continue their struggle for independence from india and one day our voice will finally count...

For More Information Visit:
Arundhati Roy On The Kashmiri Issue
Kashmir Mission USA
Kashmir Media Service
Kashmir Speaks Blog
and feel free to search up documentaries and videos on the net posted up by Kashmiri protestors.