At Fault In Kashmir

In the world today, there are many conflicts being fought over, with many

countries trying to solve them. One of the largest conflicts in Asia, the Kashmir

Conflict, has been fought over a swath of land located between Pakistan, China, and

India, for nearly seven decades. In hindsight, one could assume the conflict would

never have began has it not been for Pakistan's illegal invasion and secession of

land in the region, the state-sponsorship of terrorists, and its ignorance to the

mostly positive views of India that the indigenous Kashmiri people have.

To begin, had Pakistan not illegally entered the borders of the Kashmir region,

one could assume the conflict between Pakistan and India wouldn't have even

started. For example, in 1947, Pakistani tribes began invading the Kashmir region

under the fear that the Kashmiri leader would accede into India (BBC, 2015). Later

on, in 1948, the Pakistani military entered the region (Akthar, 2010) and began

secretly supplying the tribes, while it sent over its own invasion force (Indurthy &

Haque, 2010), under the guise that Pakistan needed to defend the Muslim majority

in the region (Akthar, 2010). Not even the United Nations Security Council

questioned whether or not Kashmir's accession into India was legal. This leads one

to believe that the invasion and separation of the Kashmir region was an

aggressive attack, rather than the protection of a population and its rights. The

Pakistani government and tribes were trying to interfere with what was considered

the legal accession of the Kashmiri state into India.

 To continue, Pakistan's state sponsorship of terrorism can also lead one to

question Pakistan's true motives. Although with no direct accusation, the Kashmiri

king had made reference to the tribal invasion, stating that it could not have been

successful without assistance of Pakistani authorities (Akthar, 2010). In 1999,

Pakistan destroyed peace negotiations, and provoked further conflict when

Mujahedeen were sent into Indian controlled territory of Kashmir (Indurthy & Haque,

2010). In 2002,

At Fault in Kashmir

India requested that Pakistan should assist in stopping cross-border terrorism and

extradite 20 major terrorists for trial, but to India's dismay, Pakistan had not

responded to either request (Indurthy & Haque, 2010). A CIA bugged phone call

between Pakistani generals had recorded said generals referring to the Taliban as a

strategic asset to Pakistan, and in 2009, there was even acknowledgment from the

Pakistani government that the militants were funded and used by previous

governments (Indurthy & Haque, 2010). The use of terrorism to gain control of the

Kashmir region continues one's beliefs that the Pakistani government has no respect

for peace between its own nation, and India. The blatant disregard for human life

shows that Pakistan is willing to fight at any cost, for a region they illegally invaded.

Lastly, Pakistan has completely disregarded the opinion of the Kashmiri

people. In 2002, a poll inquires that while sixty-one percent of Kashmiri's prefer

Indian rule, only six percent prefer Pakistani rule (Indurthy & Haque, 2010). In the

words of Indurthy and Haque, "moreover, ethnically and ideologically and

religiously, one can argue that Kashmiri Muslims in the Valley are much more close
to India than they are to Pakistan (2010)." The polls conducted show a much higher

approval rate of Indian governance over Pakistani rule. Pakistan has claimed their

nation would provide better rule due to the same religion, but there is the general

belief that Kashmiri Muslims as close to India anyways.

In conclusion, through illegal invasions, sponsorship of terrorism, and lack of

acceptance of Indian popularity, Pakistan has assisted in keeping the Kashmir

Conflict alive. In the world today many conflicts have ended through peaceful

negotiation. How long will the world have to wait until the Kashmir Conflict is ended

the same way?

References

Akthar, N. (2010). A response to "the Kashmir conflict". Retrieved

from http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.library.niagarac.on.ca:8080/ps/i.do?
p=AONE&u=ko_acd_nic&id=GALE|
A224991106&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=ko_acd_nic&authCount=1#

BBC. (2015). Kashmir territories profile. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-

south-asia-11693674

BBC. (2015). Kashmir profile - Timeline. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-

south-asia-16069078
Indurthy, R., & Haque, M. (2010). The Kashmir conflict: why it defies solution. Retrieved
from http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.library.niagarac.on.ca:8080/ps/i.do?
p=AONE&u=ko_acd_nic&id=GALE|
A224991105&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=ko_acd_nic#