What about Kashmir? (and I don’t mean the sweater…)
November 21st, 2009
When my alarm went off on Tuesday morning, NPR was playing softly in the background. As I lay there listening, a story about India’s relations with Pakistan was on the air waves. (Click here)
As India emerges on the international stage as the most populated democracy in the world, there is always talk of the future. But there is one large aspect of the past that still may still play a large part of the future, the India’s relations with Pakistan and the conflict in Kashmir.
In 1947, the British declared India an independent secular nation, and Pakistan a Muslim nation. The already existing rivalry between Muslims and Hindus only grew stronger. Since 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three wars. The geographical area called Kashmir (located in the North of both countries) is still a disputed territory. Each night at the border between India’s Kashmir and Pakistan’s Kashmir, there is a flag ceremony on both sides. Bleachers full of hundreds of people come to watch and cheer for their respective country and yell taunts at those across the border.
There is a group in Kashmir that wants their own autonomy. They want to separate from Pakistan and India, and become independent. Earlier this week, Indian leaders held secret meetings with Kashmir separatists. The separatists have demanded India to pull back troops and release some prisoners before they continue the talks. At the time I am writing this, I could not find any information on whether or not India agreed to their demands.
Recently, Rahul Gandhi, of the India’s ruling Congress party, and son of the party’s president, Sonia Gandhi, has spoken out for a change in attitude toward their Pakistani neighbors. “I actually feel we give too much time in our mind to Pakistan. We are now becoming a serious international player. Pakistan is a very small piece of our worldview.” Many people share this view, and are ready to forget the tension of the past and move on to a peaceful future. Most youth of both the nations don’t care about the rivalry and have already moved past it. This may be easier said than done.
Can you sweep a deep seeded religious conflict under the rug in a generation? How similar is this to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the debated region of Jerusalem? Can we draw any conclusions and similarities? Can diplomacy work to resolve this conflict?
- Lindsay Leaver
Entry Filed under: 2010 Student Blogs, India, Misc.
7 Comments Add your own
1. Hemanth | November 21st, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Lyndsey, the blog was a good start. You have asked very relevant and pertinent questions but offered too little information. I believe, the discussion would be more meaningful if you discuss the history of Kashmir, the Indian version of the story, the Pakistani version of the story, the Hurriyat’s (Separatists) version of the story, and the stakes involved for different sides. This is just my honest suggestion.
2. Alex Thornton | November 21st, 2009 at 5:28 pm
To further complicate things, China and India dispute the Aksai Chin region. India also disputes Pakistan’s cessation of the Shaksam Valley to China.
Even if India and Pakistan reach a settlement over their dispute, India and China will still need to settle their differences. Similarly, if India and China make and agreement, Pakistan will not recognize it.
Consequently, all three parties will likely need to reach a mutual agreement for this dispute to be settled.
3. Frederick Peemoeller | November 24th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
This conflict seems different from the conflict with Israel and Palestine, because the disagreement between the Indians and Pakistanis is solely religious, but the conflict in the middle east also has economic implications. After looking at both India’s and Pakistan’s economic data, it seems that both countries are experiencing positive growth in GDP and also better standards of living. On the other hand, Israel and Palestine couldn’t be more different. The Israeli’s have a stable government, high standards of living, and receive substantial amounts of aid from the US. The Palestinians couldn’t be any further on the opposite side of the spectrum, which only is a catalyst for their hatred against the Jews. I believe the economic difference between Israel and Palestine make it almost impossible to end their tensions, but since their isn’t much economic difference between India and Palestine, their conflict may actually be resolved one day.
4. Alex Thornton | November 27th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
@ Fred
I would imagine that the Kashmir dispute is political in addition to being religious. But I think you are essentially right; Kashmir does not appear to have any economic value. In that regard, the various parties should be more willing to compromise in order to focus on more economically pressing matters. Though I would wager that the Kashmir dispute will be solved first, it is doubtful either will be solved anytime soon.
5. Jordan Wente | November 28th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I agree with Alex on this issue. Overall, I think the Kashmir conflict is much more complex than religion alone. There are defiantly political issues at hand as well as religious. The solution defiantly needs to come as a result of a compromise between India, China and Pakistan. Additionally, I assume that the US and the global community will also play a role along with the people of Kashmir. A past promise of independence by India, when Kashmir merged with India, and the separatist movement seeking independence within Kashmir, will surely complicate matters further.
On another note, while positive GDP and standards of living are important economic considerations, I do not believe that these are the only economic indicators India and Pakistan are taking into consideration. Both countries believe that Kashmir is an important to them for various reasons. I am fairly certain that there is a power battle that underlies the entire conflict and global relations certainly complicate this more.
While overall with new upcoming generations it seems more likely that a compromise will be reached, I also agree that it will not be in the near future. However, if a solution is reached it will most likely come as the result of diplomatic efforts from all sides.
6. Jason Silver | December 2nd, 2009 at 7:14 pm
The debate raging over the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan is now reaching new heights. It is in the best interest of both countries to solve the issue diplomatically, however little is being done because they both are demanding more and more of each other. As of December 2nd, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that in order to reach a peace accord between the two nations, they must settle the dispute over the Kashmir territory. The issue of terrorism has put a new wrinkle into the debate over the region. India will not sit down with Pakistan to discuss Kashmir unless Pakistan agrees to prosecute the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who carried out the Mumbai attacks just over a year ago.
We can now draw a similarity between the two conflicts mentioned, in that terrorism is a reality that must be dealt with. Peace will never be reached unless the terrorism stops. The Israeli’s must deal with constant suicide bombings and a Palestinian government ruled by people who seek to wipe them off the face of the planet. India must now deal with a state that harbors terrorists and should not seek to commence peace talks unless the plague of terrorism is exterminated.
Modern Indians are tempted to put their country’s history with Pakistan behind them, but it is impossible to do so with terrorism threatening a possible attempt at peace of Kashmir. It will take time to solve this issue, but once the threat of terrorism is reduced or eliminated, the two countries will be able to sit down and constructively work towards peace in the region.
7. m | January 27th, 2010 at 8:17 am
gaining kashmir by either nations will also boost the economy of the winning country due to the scenic tourist attractions ,very unique handicrafts and other materials.
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