Kashmir - meaning of word |– |– |– |- |Azad Kashmir |99% |– |– |– |- | rowspan="3" | India |Jammu | rowspan="3" | ~9 million |30% |66% |– |4% |- |Ladakh |46% |– |50% |3% |- |Kashmir Valley |95% |4% |– |– |- |China |Aksai Chin |– |– |– |– |– |- |colspan ="7" style="background: #E9E9E9; font-size: 90%" | Statistics from the BBC [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/south_asia/03/kashmir_future/html/default.stm In Depth] report |} In the rest of this article, we will refer to the parts of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India, Pakistan and China respectively as "Indian Kashmir", "Pakistani Kashmir", and "Chinese Kashmir". Note that by this nomenclature, the word "Kashmir" in "Indian Kashmir" is used in a very general sense; more specifically, "Indian Kashmir" includes not only the Kashmir Valley (which is a proper part of Kashmir) but also Jammu and Ladakh (which are not parts of Kashmir per se, though they are parts of the overall region of "Jammu and Kashmir"). This may seem a little confusing if you are new to this subject, but after you read a bit more, we hope you will see that this nomenclature scheme makes a lot of sense. Kashmir is one of the world's most well-known territorial disputes, and most Western made maps use a dotted-line to indicate the territory's uncertain boundaries. ==Early history== The name Kashmir came to be applied to this region as a result of the activities of the Dogra princes. The Dogras are a predominantly Hindu people in the area around Jammu. Their kings paid tribute to the Sikhs, and were part of the Sikh Empire that arose following the collapse of the Mughal Empire. Under the Sikhs, as feudatories, the Dogras sought and obtained permission to push into Kashmir and the North, into Ladakh. Zorawar Singh Dogra led an expedition into Tibet in a failed effort to bring it to submission to the Sikh Empire, as a sub-feudatory of the Dogras. With the sudden collapse of the Sikh Empire before the English forces, the Dogras purchased from the British their independence, and thus also assured themselves of their feudal hold over the subsidiary kingdoms of Kashmir, Ladakh and the Emirates of the north. The Dogra kings who originally ruled only from Jammu, also began to operate in summer from Srinagar, the metropolis of Kashmir. As a result, the Dogra Kingdom developed into a sort of "Dual Monarchy", the Dogra Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir is a valley whose beauty has been proclaimed by many and stretches out at about 7,200 square kilometers (2,800 square miles) at an elevation of 1,675 meters (5,500 feet). A Mughal ruler who built the famed Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir made the statement, " If heaven be on this earth, it must be here." It has a very ancient history and it was for a long time one of the centers of Hindu philosophical, literary and religious culture, a tradition still maintained by the native HinduKashmiri Pandit population. Kashmiri literature, sculpture, music, dance, painting, and architecture have had a profound influence in Asia. History, however, has witnessed the quick depletion of numbers of Kashmiri Pandits following incipience of Islamic rule; it is estimated that today at least a half million have fled from their homes in Jammu and Kashmir to other parts of India. ==Partition, dispute and war== In 1935 (before Indian independence), British rulers compelled the Dogra King of Jammu & Kashmir to lease for 60 years parts of his kingdom; parts which went to make up the new Province of the North-West Frontier, in a move designed to strengthen their northern boundaries, especially from Russia. In 1947, the British dominion of India came to an end with the creation of two new nations, India and Pakistan. Several princely states were reverted their sovereignity that they had ceded to the Kings of Britain by the subsidiary treaties. Kashmir, which had a predominantly Muslim population, was one of these autonomous states, ruled by the Dogra King (or Maharaja) Hari Singh. Hari Singh preferred to remain independent and sought to avoid the stress placed on him by either India and Pakistan by playing each against the other. ===Indo-Pakistani War of 1947=== (main article at Indo-Pakistani War of 1947) Not long after partition, Pakistani tribals from Waziristan invaded Kashmir. It is alleged that the main reason behind this was the general violations of basic human rights of the Muslim majority of the state by the Dogra army; the actual cause was Pakistan's impatience to absorb the Dogra Kingdom. This invasion was aggravated by the mutiny of the army in the northern province of Gilgit, led by the two British officers put in charge by the Hari Singh. They seized and kidnapped the Dogra prince, who was governor, and unilaterally declared the province a part of Pakistan. The invading irregular military Pakistani forces made rapid advances into North Kashmir (Baramulla sector). There were reports of widespread looting, abduction, rape, killings, and other atrocities committed by these tribal invaders on the population of parts of Kashmir they occupied. This forced Maharaja Hari Singh to ask the Government of India to intervene and put a halt to these atrocities. However, the Government of India pointed out that India and Pakistan had signed an agreement of non-intervention (maintenance of the "status quo") in Jammu and Kashmir; and although tribal invaders from Pakistan had entered Jammu and Kashmir, there was, until that point of time, no iron-clad legal evidence to unequivocally prove that the Government of Pakistan was officially involved, so it would be illegal for India to unilaterally intervene (in an open, official capaicity) unless Jammu and Kashmir officially joined the Union of India, at which point it would be India's unalienable legal and moral right to intervene militarily to defend the lives, honour, and dignity of its own people, and their cultural heritage, property, and territory. The Maharaja would have preferred to stay independent to maintain his power and influence, but desperately needed Indian military help to protect his people and their property. However, India refused to intervene unofficially through irregular forces. Before the arrival of Pakistani tribal invaders and Pakistani irregulars into Srinagar, Maharaja Hari Singh completed negotiations for acceding to India and receiving military aid in return. This agreement signed by the Maharaja and Lord Mountbatten, Independent India's first Governor-General of India ceded Kashmir over to India. [http://mha.nic.in/accdoc.htm Original Accession Document] Pakistan claims that this accession is invalidated by a previous agreement between India and Pakistan, to maintain the "status quo"; India counters that the invasion of Kashmir by tribals aided and instigated by the Government of Pakistan, and reinforced by military regulars, had rendered that agreement null and void. India also believes that the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India was not just the decision of the ruler MaharajaHari Singh, but reflected the popular will of the people living in Jammu and Kashmir at that time. This is because of the fact that Sheikh Abdullah, the leader of the popular political party of Kashmir, the National Conference, shared the secularist views of Jawahar Lal Nehru, then Prime Minister of India, and favoured joining India over Pakistan. The resulting war, the First Kashmir War, lasted until 1948, when India moved the issue to United Nations to ask Pakistan to vacate the occupied Kashmir. The UN imposed a cease-fire, and mandated a plebiscite among the entire Kashmiri population, subject to the withdrawal of all Pakistani forces, regular and irregular, and the plebiscite to be held under Indian auspices. ===Aftermath of war=== Pakistan, however, refused to abide this resolution. Pakistan's recalcitrance was strengthened by its alliance with USA against the Soviet Union, even as India allied with the USSR. A later resolution mandated a joint withdrawal, but it was never implemented. The Treaty of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh and his heir, the Sardar-e-Riyasat K. Singh Dogra, was ratified by the popular parliament of the kingdom, dominated by the popular political party of Kashmir, the National Conference led by Sheikh Abdullah. The Indian Government negotiated an autonomous status for the kingdom, and it was the only Indian province permitted to retain its own constitution, flag, anthem, etc. Pakistan still asks for a plebiscite in Kashmir under the UN. However, India is no longer willing to allow a plebiscite, mainly because of the fact that the large parts of Kashmir that have been under Pakistani control since 1948 have been assimilated into Pakistan, as part of the Pakistani province called "Northern Areas". There are reports that since 1948, over the last 56 years, the Pakistani government has been settling non-Kashmiris from other parts of Pakistan (especially retired Pakistani Army personnel) in those areas, completely changing the demographics of the region, to the extent that the original (1948) inhabitants of Kashmir are now in a minority in their own homeland. The part of Pakistani Kashmir that has been kept "independent", the so-called "Azad Kashmir", is only a tiny sliver of land, a very tiny part of the parts of the original kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir that Pakistan occupied in 1948. On the other hand, Indian Kashmir has been protected from outside influence from other parts of India under Article 370 of the Constitution of India of the Constitution of India, which, for example, makes it illegal for a non-Kashmiri Indian to acquire property and settle in Jammu and Kashmir. (Kashmiri Indians are allowed to settle in any part of India). The ceasefire line is known as the Line of Control (dotted line) and is the pseudo-border between India and Pakistan in most of the Kashmir region. ===Sino Indian War=== Disputes regarding the India-China border caused the People's Republic of China and India to initiate war in the Sino-Indian War in 1962. China had the upper hand throughout the war, resulting in the Chinese occupation of the region called Aksai Chin, as well as a strip along the eastern border. In addition to these lands, another smaller area, the Trans-Karakoram, was ceded to China by Pakistan in 1963 as a gesture of goodwill. The line that separates India from China in this region is known as the ''Line of Actual Control''. [http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/05/24/aksai.chin/] ===1965 and 1971 Wars=== In 1965 and 1971, heavy fighting again broke out between India and Pakistan. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 resulted in a defeat of Pakistan in East Pakistan (Bangladesh), and the capturing of 90,000 Pakistani soldiers by India in that region. The Simla Agreement was signed in 1972 between India and Pakistan. By this treaty, both countries agreed to settle all issues by peaceful means and mutual discussions. As a gesture of goodwill, India gave up the parts of West Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir that she gained in the war, withdrawing to the Line of Control (and from Pakistani territories to the International Border in the Punjab sector) and also released all 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war taken in Bangladesh. ===Modern Terrorism in Kashmir=== In 1989, a widespread armed insurgency started in Kashmir, which continues to this day. India believes that a large part of these insurgents are Pakistani-trained terrorists. Letters, pictures, identity cards, and other documents recovered by the Indian Army from several captured insurgents and from the bodies of several dead insurgents in the last twenty-five years since widespread insurgency started in 1989, have confirmed that a large number of these men are not of Kashmiri origin, but have come from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and various other places where radical Islam has gained ground, or Islamic insurgency or religious war in the name of Islam ("jihad") has been going on for some time. Osama bin Laden and his international terrorist group Al Qaeda, which is known to work closely with a number of Pakistani intelligence officials, reportedly also with the knowledge and connivance with a number of powerful entities in the Pakistani government and Army, has been reported to be active in Kashmir. A number of insurgent groups active in Kashmir, such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen, etc, have been recognised as terrorist groups with close connections to Al Qaeda, independently by major countries like USA, UK, France, Germany, Russia etc. In India's view, these entities are international terrorist organisations. India does not believe there is any similarity between this insurgency in Kashmir in the name of fundamentalist radical Islam, and a real and valid popular struggle for independence and self-determination, such as Indian independence movement from British rule, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. However, quite a few of the terrorists operating in Kashmir are of Kashmiri origin. Several of them, after being captured by the Indian Army, have confessed that they were contacted by Pakistani recruiters and went to Pakistan for arms training to become a terrorist, because this was the best means of employment available to them. The economy of Kashmir, which was based to a large extent on revenues generated by Tourism in Kashmir (Kashmir is known as the "Switzerland of India" for its breath-taking natural beauty), has been badly damaged by Pakistani terrorism, so that things have now deteriorated to such an extent that some sections of Kashmiri youth find employment as a terrorist (which reportedly pays about five thousand rupees a month, with additional earning opportunities through drug-peddling, extortion, robbery, and distributing counterfeit Indian currency made in Pakistan ) to be their only feasible option, other than, perhaps, begging or stealing. However, in addition to people like the above, there are also many Kashmiri youths who are really interested in independence, and have indepedently chosen to go to Pakistan for Pakistani terrorist camps . This is due to the following reasons. While earnings by Kashmiris from tourism have fallen drastically since insurgency started in 1989, India has been unable to compensate for that massive loss of income and improved standards of living in Kashmir, and many Kashmiris feel betrayed by the Government of India. Secondly, Kashmir, like the rest of India, and indeed all Third World countries, has seen a lot of Corruption in the Third World , and Electoral corruption in the Third World over the decades. While the rest of India is more patient in its expectations in the fight against corruption and electoral fraud, some Kashmiris are frustrated and feel alienated and victimized by a corrupt government far away in New Delhi. India is making efforts to rectify the situation. Electoral malpractices have been reduced drastically in Indian elections following the introduction of several innovative security measures by a powerful and maverick Chief Election Commissioner of India , T N Seshan. Indeed, the last elections in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002 held in Jammu and Kashmir, in 2002, were acknowledged by international observers as having been exceptionally transparent, free and fair. Similarly, corruption is also being reduced in Indian society, with the spread of education, empowering the poor and the downtrodden who have been primary victims of corruption in society and government. The Indian youth, numbering 500 million, contains a large fraction of motivated individuals determined to transform their country into a developed one by the year 2020. They draw inspiration from the maverick President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam, who has made a habit of visiting impoverished villages, and schools all over the country, and spending time with young people, to motivate them to shed off the feeling of intellectual and financial poverty, and work towards success. A large fraction of motivated Indians believe that through their collective action, they will be able to overcome poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and corruption within their country in the coming decades, and realize the dreams Mahatma Gandhi, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Nehru, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rabindranath Tagore and other political and social leaders had in mind for the future of this great culture and ancient society. India notes that 1989, the year major armed insurgency started in Kashmir, is the same year the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, and large numbers of Islamic fighters who had been engaged in fighting against the USSR, became available to Pakistan. It is too much of a coincidence to believe that none of these jobless fighters played a role in igniting violence in Kashmir, and yet, the insurgency started there at the same time. Evidence recovered by India subsequently (as mentioned above) shows that a large fraction of those insurgents that have been captured or killed are from outside Kashmir. A disturbingly large fraction of them have served in Afghanistan under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. Two infamous Al Qaeda operatives, the "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh, and the "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, are both known to have spent time training and fighting in Kashmir. Nowadays it is considered an open secret that the so-called "Kashmiri insurgency" was mainly an effort masterminded by Pakistan's secret service, the Inter-Services Intelligence , with Pakistani, Syrian, Saudi, Libyan, and Afghan fighters; the same people, followers of Osama bin Laden against the USSR in Afghanistan till 1989 (it is believed that at that time Osama bin Laden was employed by the CIA to fight against SovietCommunism in Afghanistan). Pakistan calls these insurgents, a large fraction of whom are of foreign origin, "Kashmiri freedom fighters" and claims that it gives only moral and diplomatic support to these insurgents, but no material support (guns, etc). However, international observers stationed on the line of control between Indian-controlled and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir have confirmed Indian claims that Pakistan regularly attempts to push insurgents trained in terrorist-training camps in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, into the Indian side. The existence of these training camps is well-documented in pictures taken by Indian and US reconnaisance satellites, and has been presented to most major countries and international organisations. Since 2001, major countries, like the USA, the UK, France, Russia, Germany, and many others, have regularly urged the Pakistani government to check "cross-border terrorism" and "infiltration of Pakistani fighters into Indian Kashmir " in Jammu and Kashmir, clearly indicating that they recognise that the terror in Indian Kashmir is exported from the Pakistani side. This is also corroborated by evidence collected by US and Indian reconnaissance satellites, aerial reconnaissance missions, radio communications monitoring, motion sensors and other electronic monitoring devices deployed along the international border and the Line of Control, and human observers, both Indian and international. Further corroboration is obtained from the patterns of terrorist activity: terrorism in Kashmir markedly falls during the winter when the mountain passes leading from Pakistan to Indian Kashmir become inaccessible due to heavy snowfall, making it difficult for Pakistan to send in human and material reinforcements into India. Further, terrorist activity in Indian Kashmir has fallen markedly after India recently erected a fence along large sections of the entire international boundary and the Line of Control. ===The Line of Control=== (Some people, especially those who have not been to Kashmir at all, may find it difficult to understand the complexities involved in the border and the Line of Control. For their benefit, the following clarification is provided. The border and the Line of Control separating Indian and Pakistani Kashmir passes through some exceptionally difficult terrain. The world's highest battleground, the Siachen Glacier is a part of this difficult-to-man boundary. It is not feasible, and perhaps not even physically possible, for India to place enough men to guard all sections of the border, throughout the various seasons of the year. Large sections of the border and Line of Control are left totally unguarded for large portions of the year, making it possible for terrorists to cross undetected. This is why the Kargil War of 1999 was possible. This is why the boundary fence makes so much sense in this context.) It is interesting to note that the Pakistani Government has been repeatedly claiming in recent years that the fencing by India along the Line of Control violates the Shimla Agreement. (India does not see any reason to justify this claim). This Pakistani protest perhaps indicates that the fencing has been somewhat effective in making it difficult for terrorism to be exported into Indian Kashmir. In the last decade, Pakistan has been repeatedly watch-listed for state-sponsored terrorism by the US State Department, just one step removed from being clubbed with countries like Syria and Libya that are known sponsors of state terror. In 2002 Pakistani President and Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf promised to check cros-border terrorism in Indian Kashmir and infiltration from Pakistan into Indian Kashmir into Jammu and Kashmir, and there are signs from time to time that he may be carrying out some of his promises. However, since then there have reportedly been three attempts by Pakistani terrorists to assassination attempts by Al Qaeda on Pervez Musharraf , and it appears that General Musharraf is encountering significant opposition from terrorist groups and from motivated sections of the Pakistani Army and secret service establishment in any attempts to stop killing innocent civilians in Indian Kashmir. It is also reported that large sections of officers in Pakistan's military establishment hold a grudge against India for having assisted the Mukti Bahini of Bangladesh in 1971 in its effort to secure the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistani rule in 1971, and view the terrorist operation in Kashmir with the goal to remove it from India as their act of revenge. Since General Musharraf was the architect of the Kargil intrusion of 1999 that was instrumental in scuttling the solution to the Kashmir dispute that was being reached between then civilian Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan and India's then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, it is not clear to all Indians that General Musharraf is indeed sincere about wanting to solve the Kashmir dispute that has, in India's view, served the interests of the belligerent sections of the Pakistani defence establishment (and its partner in civil society, the fundamentalist religious parties espousing radical Islam) very well in their struggle for power against the moderate, progressive and peace-loving sections of Pakistani military and civil society for the last five decades since 1947. Further, because of their conduct over the preceding years, both General Musharraf and the Pakistani military and spy establishment have acquired a reputation, in India's eyes, of reverting to terrorist practices whenever international attention shifts away from their activities. Hence, India is yet to trust that Pakistan has truly and finally decided to give up terrorism as an instrument of state policy. == Human rights abuse == Although matters have improved in Jammu and Kashmir following the opening of discussion between Pervez Musharraf and Prime MinisterManmohan Singh, the influential independent human rights agency Amnesty International has said in its most recent report, released on May 24, that violations continue, although they are unable to determine whether they have decreased because of security-related controls on their information gathering. The report said: "While the state admitted in 2003 that 3,744 persons had 'disappeared' since insurgency began in 1989, human rights activists believed the true figure to be over 8,000. No one had been convicted by the end of 2004." The agency, while noting that the repeal of controversial anti-terrorism act POTA was a step forward, pointed out that many members of the security forces accused of murder and rape had not been charged with the crimes. The 2004 US State Department Human Rights report also said ""Members of the security forces committed numerous serious human rights abuses", and also mentioned abuses committed by "separatist guerillas". == Recent developments == (see Terrorism in Kashmir) Both India and Pakistan continue to assert their sovereignty or rights over the entire region of the former Dogra Kingdom. India considers all of Kashmir to be an integral part of India, and often makes statements domestically about acquiring the Pakistani half, known in Pakistan as ‘Azad’ (free) Kashmir. In international forums however it has offered to make the Line of Control a permanent border on a number of occasions. Officially Pakistan insists on a UN sponsored plebiscite, so that the people of Kashmir will have a free say in which country all of Kashmir should be incorporated into. Unofficially, the Pakistani leadership has indicated that they would be willing to accept alternatives such as a demilitarized Kashmir, if sovereignty of Azad Kashmir was to be extended over the Kashmir valley, or the ‘Chenab’ formula, by which India would retain parts of Kashmir on its side of the Chenab river, and Pakistan the other side. Besides the popular factions that support either parties, there is a third faction which supports independence and withdrawal of both India and Pakistan. These have been the respective stands of the parties for long, and there have been no significant change over the years. As a result, all efforts to solve the conflict have been futile so far. In mid-1999, Islamic fighters from Pakistani Kashmir infiltrated and took control of the Kargil range overlooking the highway in Indian Kashmir, connecting Srinagar to Kargil and Leh in the east. Their objective was to sever the main Srinagar-Leh road which runs north-south in Indian Kashmir. Had they succeeded, they could have effectively cut Indian-held Kashmir in two, since, south of this highway, the inhospitable Zanskar Range prevents any communication between Kashmir proper and Ladakh. Pakistani backed forces had occupied significant mountain peaks and constructed well-fortified defensive positions on them towards the end of the winter season, while Indian forces had withdrawn to lower altitudes (as is customary at such high altitudes where most human beings, except perhaps the very best mountaineers, cannot even survive at the height of winter, let alone be in a condition to fight a battle). India became aware of the intrusion when search operations were launched after a 6-man patrol party of the Indian Army went missing. (It was found months later that the six men had been overpowered by the Pakistani intruders. Their severely mutilated bodies, bearing signs of heavy torture, eg., ripped-out eyeballs, severe burn and piercing injuries, etc., were returned to India by Pakistan Army, through the International Committee of the Red Cross. Pakistan Army and Pakistan denied any responsibility for the Mutilation and Torture of Indian soldiers captured by Pakistan in Kargil in 1999 .) When the infiltration became known in the Indian media, there was a massive public uproar, and the Government of India deployed the Indian Army to dislodge the infiltrators. Air strikes were used to keep casualties low. Some Indian aircrafts were shot down by the Pakistani infiltrators with Stinger missiles that had been originally been supplied by the CIA to the Pakistan secret service, the ISI, for use against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980's. This displeased the USA, which had not intended such use (against India) for its Stinger missiles, and also exposed to the rest of the world the Pakistani Army's involvement in Kargil (till then, the Pakistani Government and Pakistani Army had been claiming that the people with guns on the border peaks were not Pakistani infiltrators at all, but native Kashmiris). Pakistan, which has always claimed that it gave moral and diplomatic, but never material support to Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri terrorists operating in Kashmir, was not able to explain how Stinger missiles supplied by USA to the Pakistani Secret Service (ISI) got into the hands of these so-called Kashmiris without any material involvement by Pakistan. At the same time, fears of the Kargil War turning into a nuclear war, provoked the US President Bill Clinton to pressure Pakistan to retreat. The conflict ended with the withdrawal of Pakistani backed forces, with some irregulars allegedly being left stranded in the Kargil peaks, and India reclaiming control of the peaks which they now patrol and monitor at considerable cost. It is claimed that the Kargil infiltration was ordered by the Pakistan Army without clearance of the civilian government. Prime Minister Sharif was blamed by the Army for forcing them to withdraw, though the withdrawal order was also seen as a ‘get out’ route for the military which was ill-equipped to deal with the operations political fallout. It is also alleged that humiliation caused to the Pakistani army by the episode was a significant factor in the overthrow of the civilian government a few months later by General Pervez Musharraf, the army chief who is alleged to have been responsible for instigating the Kargil operation. The 9/11 attack on the US, resulted in it wanting to restrain militancy in Pakistan. The USA put diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to cease infiltrations by Islamic fighters into Indian-held Kashmir. However the Pakistanis argue that their national army of approximately 500,000 can in no way be better equipped to halt infiltrations of the Indian army, which is estimated to have between 300,000 and 500,000 soldiers based in Kashmir. In early 2002, India sought to take advantage of America's new attitude by escalating its response to the attempted terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament, resulting in war threats, massive deployment and international fears of nuclear war in the subcontinent. After intensive diplomatic efforts by other countries, India started to withdraw troops from the international border, a move that was immediately reciprocated by Pakistan on June 10, 2002, and negotiations began again. Effective November 26, 2003, India and Pakistan have agreed to maintain a ceasefire along the undisputed International Border, the disputed Line Of Control, and along the Siachen glacier. This is the first such "total ceasefire" declared by both powers in nearly 15 years. In February 2004, Pakistan further increased pressure on Pakistani Muslims fighting in Indian held Kashmir to adhere to the ceasefire. ==Claims to Kashmir== The Pakistani claim to Kashmir is based on the fact that the majority of Kashmir's population is Muslim. Since Pakistan was created as a nation for the Muslims of India, the leadership of Pakistan has always felt that Kashmir rightfully belongs to Pakistan. The Pakistani claim is also based on a belief that most Kashmiris would vote to join Pakistan, although this has never been proved or disproved. The Indian claim centers on the agreement of the Maharaja to sign over Kashmir to India through the Instrument of Accession. It also focuses on India's stated secular ideology, an ideology that is not meant to factor religion into governance of major policy and thus imagines it irrelevant in a boundary dispute. Approximately 170 million Muslims call India their home. India has the second largest population of Muslims on this planet; second only to that of Indonesia in size. The Pakistani Population Census Organization estimates Pakistan's entire population to be 153,141,000 as of February 2005. India sees these 170 million Indian Muslims as people who rejected Mohammad Ali Jinnah call for Partition of India in 1947 on religious lines in 1947, and chose to stay in Secular India with their Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Parsi, Jewish, and Jain brothers and sisters rather than go to the new-born Islamic country of Pakistan. Indians believe in Secularism, which is explained as follows. According to the Indian definition of Secularism, a Secular person does not have to be non-religious. He or she can be a devout Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Parsi, Jew, Jain, Buddhist, or Sikh. However, a secular person recognises that each religion is merely one path towards God, and no path is inferior or superior to any other path, as they all lead to the same place. A secular person thus does not disrespect, feel animosity towards, feel threatened by, or look down upon, religions or faiths different from his or her own. Secularism is enshrined as a fundamental aspect defining India as a country in Her Constitution, which starts with the Preamble "WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and ..." To Indians, religion is a personal matter; not a matter of State. Indians do not believe in Muhammad Ali Jinnah Two-Nation Theory, which claimed that Hindus and Muslims cannot live together in peace in the same country. Indeed, the Two-Nation Theory is disproved by Indians on a daily basis, as Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, Jews and Christians of India demonstrate every day that Humanity is above Religion. Thus, to India, Pakistan's claim to Kashmir based on no better reason than the fact that Kashmir has a Muslim majority population is ridiculous and insupportable; even more so because in 1947, when Kashmir still had a Muslim majority population, its popular leader, Sheikh Abdullah of its dominant political party, the National Conference, had unequivocally said that Kashmir would choose to join India, not Pakistan, refelcting the Sufi religious tolerance and secularism that has been part of Kashmir's history since time immemorial and lives in the heart and soul of most Kashmiris, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist; as opposed to the dogmatic and non-secular Wahabi/Sunni Islam represented by Pakistan. Indeed, the secular nature of Kashmiri Muslims and Hindus is exemplified by the fact that till 1947, Jammu and Kashmir was ruled by a Hindu King, MaharajaHari Singh, even though an overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Jammu and Kashmir were Muslim. The Wahabi influence on Pakistan has apparently strengthened even more since 1947, due to the active efforts by the SaudiWahabi sect to take Pakistan back to the Middle Ages. It is reported that the population of non-Muslims in Pakistan has dropped from 18% in 1947 to 0.1% in 2005, allegedly due to widespread persecution of the religious minorities. Now that non-Islamic religious minorities are a rarity in Pakistan, it appears that the establishment has started looking for new minorities to presecute. Since 2003, there has been serious concern at the religious persecution of Ahmadiyyas, a non-mainstream Islamic group that has been excommunicated from Islam by the Pakistani establishment. Shia minorities in Pakistan reportedly feel threatened in an increasingly radical Islam fundamentalist state, and Sufis are especially in danger, as fundamentlist Sunnis who Radical Islam considers music and dance to be un-Islamic (as exemplified by the conduct of the Emperor Aurangzeb of the Middle Ages, or the Taliban government of Afghanistan in more recent days) do not take kindly to the Sufi tradition of achieving peace and unity with Allah (God) through listening to and singing devotional music. It is not clear to Indian admirers of Kashmir's Sufi culture and heritage that this Sufi tradition will be allowed to survive if Kashmir falls into the hands of Sunni/Wahabi followers of radical Islam who dominate Pakistan today. The desecration and destruction of sacred Sufi shrines and religious artifacts by Pakistani terrorists is a cause of great concern. In 1993, the sacred Sufi Shrine, the Hazratbal Mosque which houses a sacred hair of the Prophet Muhammad , was desecrated by Pakistani terrorists. It is reported that the Sunni/Wahabi sects of Islam who apparently dominate Pakistan today with Saudi support, do not approve of the respect with which the Sufis of Kashmir worship the Prophet Muhammad hair; it is reported that in their opinion, it is too similar to "idol worship" done by Hindus, which is, in their opinion, very un-Islamic. A famous Sufi shrine, the Chrar-e-Sharif, the tomb of the great Sufi saint Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani, was destroyed by Pakistani terrorists in 1995. This shrine represented the secular ideals that united Kashmiri Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists in celebration of Humanity over Religion for centuries. To India, the thought of letting Saudi-inspired and Saudi-funded fundamentalist Wahabi/Sunni Pakistani followers of radical Islam destroy the beautiful and culturally-rich Sufi Islamic culture developed by Kashmiri Muslims over the last one thousand years, a Sufi culture that is considered a vital part of India's cultural heritage as exemplified by the Quawwali style of music and Sufi devotional songs, is insupportable. The richest man in India, Azim H. Premji, Chairman of Wipro Corporation, is a Muslim. Sufi cultural heritage, an important part of Islamic culture, was developed in India. India's most recognisable and well-known cultural artifact that every Indian is inestimably proud of, the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was built by the Muslim MughalEmperor Shah Jahan. For these and many other reasons, Indians of all religions are proud to live in the same country with their secular and broad-minded Muslim brothers and sisters. When they see these Muslims living in Kashmir threatened, robbed, kidnapped, or killed by Pakistani terrorists on a daily basis, either as punishment for participating in Indian elections, or for not following Taliban-style dress codes (there have been disturbingly persistent media reports for a number of years that a number of Kashmiri Muslim girls have had acid bulbs thrown on their faces for not having worn a suitably long burqa as demanded by Pakistani terrorists, or for going to schools or colleges in violation of the role envisaged for them under the regressive Taliban/Wahabi ideology propagated by Pakistani terrorists in Kashmir), etc it is very difficult for them to accept this situation. India sees the Pakistani-held territories as land illegally taken by Pakistan. The fact that Pakistan gave five thousand square miles of this Kashmiri/Indian land that it had forcibly occupied in 1948 to China in 1963, is even more difficult for India to understand or accept. The fact that Nehru's family came from Kashmir made the issue important to him on a personal level, and he also hoped that Kashmir would serve as an example of a fully secular India (being the only Muslim majority province in the nation). On the other hand, it appears to India that Pakistan, having been founded on the Two-Nation Theory propagated by its first Quaid-e-Azam (Prime Minister) Muhammad Ali Jinnah, feels a need to disprove the feasibility of Indian secularism and religious broad-mindedness and peaceful co-existence in order to justify its own existence. India also notes that in the last six decades since Pakistan became independent in 1947, Pakistan has never managed to get a democratically elected government to ever complete a five-year term in office. There is a feeling in India that the Pakistani Army, together with a small group of Saudi-supported Sunni/Wahabi religious leaders, have always manipulated matters in Pakistan, and the common people of Pakistan have been fed a steady diet of anti-India rhetoric and religious hatred centred on the Kashmir dispute to keep them occupied while the powers-that-be in Islamabad mismanage the country. There is some evidence to support the Indian view. Successive military governments in Pakistan have apparently acted to keep the Kashmir problem alive on multiple occasions. Some well-known instances are mentioned as follows. In the 1970's, Pakistan's military chief, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq deposed and hanged the then civilian Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had made great progress with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to solve the Kashmir problem based on mutual understanding and respect, as envisaged in the Shimla Agreement. Zia-ul-Haq, the military leader of Pakistan, removed the civilian leader Bhutto and killed him before the Kashmir issue could be solved. A second well-known instance was in the late 1990's, when the civilan leader of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, was removed by the military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, when Sharif and the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee were close to solve the Kashmir issue based on mutual understanding and respect, as envisaged in the Lahore Declaration. Musharraf seized power and imprisoned Sharif, who was later exiled after his health seriously deteriorated during imprisonment. At the same time, Musharraf also completely jeopardized the peace process by making a disastrous and ill-planned military misadventure into the Kargil sector of India, leading to the Kargil War of 1999. The next two years, Pakistan-based terrorists organised suicide attacks on the Suicide attack on Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly in Srinagar, and on the Suicide attack on Indian Parliament in 2001 in New Delhi. That led to serious deterioration of diplomatic ties. In recent years, however, Musharraf has been showing signs of being serious about peace, either due to US pressure, or having realised his duty towards the poor people of India and Pakistan, who would benefit immensely if both countries were able to stop this mindless military expenditure and attack the real enemies of the people of the Indian sub-continent: poverty, illiteracy, and unemployment. Time will tell whether the People of the Sub-continent will rise up and tell their leaders to stop playing politics with Kashmir, and instead work to improve standards of living and take the high road towards social and economic development, so that the people of the sub-continent get their rightful place on the comity of nations. ===The water dispute=== Another valid reason behind the dispute over Kashmir is water. Kashmir is the origin point for many rivers including the Indus and its tributaries Jhelum and Chenab which primarily flow into Pakistan while other branches - the Ravi, Beas and the Sutlej irrigate northern India. Pakistan has been apprehensive that in a dire need India under whose portion of Kashmir lies the origins of the said rivers, would use its strategic advantage and withhold the flow and thus choke the agrarian economy of Pakistan. The Boundary Award of 1947 meant that the headworks of the chief irrigation systems of Pakistan were left located in Indian Territory. Essentially this is seen as a "veto" power held by India over Pakistan agriculture. In view of the plans to build a dam over Chenab, Pakistan has highlighted the plight, but on the other hand India has maintained that it cannot deny water to its own people whose mandate the government needs to be in power. Many historians agree that the failure of Pakistan to take the much more fertile areas of Kashmir during the initial conflict (Indo-Pakistani War of 1971) has cost them dear. This is because the area occupied by Pakistan is much less fertile and less strategic a point given India's unlimited access to the most critical mineral of all: water. The Kashmir issue thus is both about land and water. == Map issues == As with other disputed territories, each government issues maps depicting their claims in Kashmir as part of their territory, regardless of actual control. It is illegal in India to exclude all or part of Kashmir in a map. Non-participants often use the Line of Control and the Line of Actual Control as the depicted boundaries, as is done in the CIA World Factbook, and the region is often marked out in hashmarks, although the Indian Government strictly opposes such practices. == Tourist attractions == Available to see in Kashmir are many house boats and boat taxis. There are many mosques serving the Muslim population, such as the Hazratbal Mosque, situated on the western banks of Dal Lake. The mosque is home to a holy hair belonging to the prophet Mohammed which was sent to Kashmir by the Moghul emperor Aurungzeb. It was badly damaged by Indian forces agedly trying to flush out militants. Thirty kilometers from Srinagar lies Chrar-e-Sharif, which is a holy shrine of the Muslim Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali. Originally constructed in 1395, Khanqah of Shah Hamadan is the first mosque ever built in Srinagar. There are also some Hindu temples. In addition, there is the claimed tomb of Jesus in the Rozabal section of Srinagar, visited by many. There is also the purported tomb of Moses on Mount Nebo (Nebo Bal). Recently a number of Jews have started to visit Kashmir to see the land where some lost tribes may have settled in antiquity. == See also == * Terrorism in Kashmir * Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 * Kashmiri literature * Kashmiri music * List of Kashmiris * Ethnic conflict in India * History of Kashmir - History post partition is covered on this page. * Kashmiri Pandit * Indian Kashmir barrier * Yuz Asaf - The purported tomb of Jesus in Shrinagar == Further reading == * Drew, Federic. 1877. “The Northern Barrier of India: a popular account of the Jammoo and Kashmir Territories with Illustrations.” 1st edition: Edward Stanford, London. Reprint: Light & Life Publishers, Jammu. 1971. *Neve, Arthur.(Date unknown). ''The Tourist's Guide to Kashmir, Ladakh, Skardo &c''. 18th Edition. Civil and Military Gazette, Ltd., Lahore. (The date of this edition is unknown - but the 16th edition was published in 1938) *Stein, M. Aurel. 1900. ''Kalhaṇa's Rājataraṅgiṇī – A Chronicle of the Kings of Kaśmīr'', 2 vols. London, A. Constable & Co. Ltd. 1900. Reprint, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass, 1979. *Victoria Schofield, ''Kashmir in the Crossfire'' (London: I B Tauris, 1996) *Kashmir Study Group, 1947-1997, the Kashmir dispute at fifty : charting paths to peace (New York, 1997) *Knight, E. F. 1893. ''Where Three Empires Meet: A Narrative of Recent Travel in: Kashmir, Western Tibet, Gilgit, and the adjoining countries''. Longmans, Green, and Co., London. Reprint: Ch'eng Wen Publishing Company, Taipei. 1971. *Navnita Behera, ''State, identity and violence : Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh'' (New Delhi: Manohar, 2000) *Sumit Ganguly, ''The Crisis in Kashmir'' (Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press; Cambridge : Cambridge U.P., 1997) *Sumantra Bose, ''The challenge in Kashmir : democracy, self-determination and a just peace'' (New Delhi: Sage, 1997) *Alastair Lamb, Kashmir: ''A Disputed Legacy 1846-1990'' (Hertingfordbury, Herts: Roxford Books, 1991) *Prem Shankar Jha, Kashmir, 1947: rival versions of history (New Delhi : Oxford University Press, 1996) *Manoj Joshi, ''The Lost Rebellion'' (New Delhi: Penguin India, 1999) *Alexander Evans, ''Why Peace Won't Come to Kashmir'', Current History (Vol 100, No 645) April 2001 p170-175. *Younghusband, Francis and Molyneux, E. 1917. ''Kashmir''. A. & C. Black, London. *Drew, Frederic. Date unknown. ''The Northern Barrier of India: a popular account of the Jammoo and Kashmir Territories with Illustrations''. Reprint: Light & Life Publishers, Jammu. 1971. *Moorcroft, William and Trebeck, George. 1841. ''Travels in the Himalayan Provinces of Hindustan and the Panjab; in Ladakh and Kashmir, in Peshawar, Kabul, Kunduz, and Bokhara... from 1819 to 1825'', Vol. II. Reprint: New Delhi, Sagar Publications, 1971. *Anonymous. 1614. ''Baharistan-i-Shahi: A Chronicle of Mediaeval Kashmir''. Translated by K.N. Pandit. [http://www.kashmir-information.com/Baharistan/] == External links == * [http://www.kashmiris.org kashmiris.org provides News views, Bookmarks and much more on kashmir] * [http://www.kashmirwatch.com Monitoring of news related to Kashmir] * [http://www.kashmiri.tv A comprehensive list of the vast array of information available on kashmir] * [http://www.kashmir-information.com A brief history of Kashmir from the perspective of Kashmiri Pandits and other victims of terrorism] * [http://www.birdsofkashmir.com Birds of Kashmir] * [http://depts.washington.edu/uwch/silkroad/ Silk Road Seattle] (The Silk Road Seattle website contains many useful resources including a number of full text historical texts) * [http://www.worldisround.com/articles/89927/index.html Images of Muzaffarabad (Capital City of Azad Kashmir)] * [http://www.worldisround.com/articles/57312/index.html Images of Azad Kashmir (Free Kashmir)] * [http://www.ikashmir.org Kashmir News Network] * [http://www.ikashmir.org/pdf Kashmiri Publications] * [http://www.kashmiri-pandit.org/atrocities/index.html Pandit account of atrocities] * [http://www.geocities.com/m_naumansadiq/constitution/kashmir UN Resolutions on Kashmir] * [http://www.panunkashmir.org Panun Kashmir] * [http://www.radiokashmir.org Kashmiri Music] * [http://www.jammukashmir.net Kashmir bibliography and specialists] * [http://www.koshur.org Kashmiri Language] * [http://www.milchar.com Milchar] * [http://www.zaan.net Project Zaan] * [http://KPlink.com Kashmiri Pandit Portal] * [http://shaivism.net Kashmiri Shaivism] * [http://gopikrishna.us Kundalini] * [http://food.ikashmir.org Cuisine] * [http://www.KashmirHerald.com Kashmiri Online Magazine] * [http://www.koausa.org/Crown/history.html An outline of the history of Kashmir] * [http://www.ummah.org.uk/kashmir/history.htm History of Kashmir from Pakistani perspective] * [http://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/wonder.pdf An overview of Kashmiri achievements] * http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/south_asia/2002/kashmir_flashpoint/ * [http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/jouvert/v613/sri.htm News Coverage of Kashmir] * http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/06/09/1022982800226.html * http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,730340,00.html * http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/research/kargil/index.asp * [http://www.kashmir-information.com/LegalDocs/ Legal Documents related to Kashmir including treaties etc..] ;Map Issues *[http://www.indiacause.com/IC_NoteOnMaps.htm Which is the True Map of Jammu & Kashmir?] - Article explains 5 major versions of Kashmir maps in Indian perspective *[http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=23243 For CIA, J-K is no longer ''disputed''] - Article by Indian Express that explains CIA's revision of Indian map *When Microsoft released a map in Windows 95 and MapPoint 2002, a controversy was raised because it did not show all of Kashmir as part of India as per Indian claim **[http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2000/Dec00/12-06gps.asp Microsoft press report on the issue] Disputed territoriesKashmirRegions of Indiagu:કાશ્મીરks:कश्‍मीरsd:कश्‍मीर

Kashmir



== Edit Dispute == Why is Aksai Chin referred to as a Chinese "occupation", when the other regions are referred to as Pakistan controlled Kashmir and Indian controlled Kashmir? The Chinese claim it and just because India disputes the Chinese claim doesn't change the facts on the ground - it is under Chinese control. Let's try and remove all the bias here so that we can move forward and make the page more comprehensive. I've already noted several (uncontroversial) places where the page could be expanded as I'm sure have the rest of you. I like the suggestion of dealing with controversial areas in here. --User:4.153.221.221 13:35, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC) Surpisingly Kashmiri terrorism and related activities are not mentioned. A long section is absolutely must. User:IndiBoy 02:16, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC) In order to immediately stop the edit war, I propose to have all the sections, with either POVS included right now and then discussion carried out here. Let me know your opinions. User:IndiBoy 02:56, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC) :I think a version without rants about Indian history, consitution and anti-Pakistan allegations is acceptable. Both terrorism things should be cut short and briefly inserted into one section with both sides of the story. Both "Indian state terrorism" and "Modern Terrorism" in a small section of the article is acceptable but NOT in long sections. When people come to look at the Kashmir article, they don't want 99% anti-Pakistani pro-Indian point of view. They want clear factual information presented in a short neat condition and both sides of the story. Hopefully this helps and ends this edit war. --User:Anonymous editor 02:58, Jun 21, 2005 (UTC) Please take a look at all the versions in the history and lets find some common lines that we can keep. Lets first focus on commonalities and then we will have them in the article, remove the rest from the article, and then discuss here. Sounds good? User:IndiBoy 03:11, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC) Removing unrelated parts which talk about Indias secularism is fine by me. Lets do that. Also How about small sections named "Human right abuses by Indian security forces" and "Armed struggle by Kashmiri militants"? We don't have to call anybody terrorist since the term is overused now a days. Or we can just have one section named "Armed militancy in Kashmir". I already feel good that we are doing this without having to babysit by an administrator. User:IndiBoy 03:30, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC) :Yes, Absolutely fine with me as long as they are both small, factual and without POV. Please combine various info in Neutral point of view manner. I think we should start edits as soon as possible because a tagged article is an urgent article. Thanks. --User:Anonymous editor 03:35, Jun 21, 2005 (UTC) I suggest you write a section "Armed struggle by Kashmiri militants" and I write "Human right abuses by Indian security forces" sections. Since we possess diagonally opposite views on these, the versions given will automatically be acceptable to both of us. Ofcourse we will further discuss what actually goes in the article. Contributions, suggestions by other editors are welcome and appreciated. User:IndiBoy 04:05, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC) Hmmm...I really don't have time to write an article. How about we revert the article to its state before the "modern terrorism" edits were made and then we can change name of the "state terrorism" section to the proposed name ("Human right abuses by Indian security forces"). After that we re-insert the "modern terrorism" section with a changed name ("Armed militancy in Kashmir"). Then we can gradually edit these articles and make them more NPOV, factual and shorter. I think this idea will work. Thanks. --User:Anonymous editor 04:10, Jun 21, 2005 (UTC) I think it is a good idea to revert back, but I am slightly confused about which edit you are refering to. Can you please post a link to that edit? User:IndiBoy 04:57, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC) ----- In the latter part of this article, there is an excess use of language like "India believes" or "many Indians think" and it presents a too-lengthy monologue of the Indian viewpoint. Lacks several important references. >>Talk:Kashmir/Archive1 ==Bias/Dispute== It is sad to see such a biased account of History. The fact is that the "tribals" this article refers to were never under the control of Pakistani military or forces. The tribal militias from the north west frontier province of Pakistan entered Kashmir when Kashmiris sought refuge from Hari Singh's brutal policies. These are the very same tribal militias now engaged against the Pakistan military. They never were or will be under Pakistan military. This article not once mentions the 600,000+ Indian troops that are present in Kashmir. The rampant rapes, murders, tortures, abductions and illegal land expulsions of the populace that have taken place. And it is said that Hindu minority has sufered at the hands of the extremists, but this article fails to mention the magnanimity of ethnic cleansing as a tool of India's state policy that has been occuring in the region. This alone would serve to ware anyone of Indian claims that given the chance to freely decide Kashmiris would join India. The article refers to Kashmir as being part of India. The fact is Kahsmir never was part of what is today Republic Of India. Its peoples look distinct from the common place Indian peoples. Its language, culture, dress, sociological outlook is very distint from the Indian culture. And the people not only enjoy a closer religious, but also a closer racial, historical and demographic affiliation with those of the people of Pakistan. Otherwise given the imperial mentality India might as well claim Nepal, Tibet, afghanistan, bangladesh and ofcourse Pakistan as "integral" parts of India since these regions also influnced what is today Hinduism. -- User:Omerlives on 19:52, 27 Oct 2004 >>>> Your argument that Kashmir is not an ostensible part of India since Kashmiris "look distinct" from the common Indian peoples is quite questionable. Note that I am not suggesting that it is a part of India, (or not); I am merely questioning your reasoning. Following your reasoning, Arabs, East-Indians, Asians (Pacific Islanders), Hispanic and indeed African American peoples who all have distinct "sociological outlook" from the majority (caucasian) United States demographic ought not to be a part of the US, but have their own states. You say given the imperial mentality, India might as well claim Nepal, Tibet, Afghanistan, etc etc. However, you fail to grasp the gist of the original article that asserts the Secularist character of the Republic of India. This secular character asserts UNITY in DIVERSITY (to use a cliche), not Unification of similar demographics. In fact that is your very argument! You say Kashmiris should be a part of Pakistan because they have more in common(?) with the people of Pakistan. However, secularism means that people can co-exist without having the same religion/caste/gender/sexual preference or physical appearance for that matter. In fact most western ideologies are based on this idea. It is hard to imagine one without this very simple concept (democracy for example). However, another dimension that is added to this debate is Pakistan's Islamic status. Now, it might be easier to follow along with your argument if one can immerse themselves in the Islamic state idea. However, from a more objective point of view (now, we have to assume that a secular point of view is more objective than an islamic one {now please don't argue with this lest we think you are an idi*t}) it is easier to follow along with the Indian (currently posted) view than the one you offer. Now I am not saying that I follow along with that view, but that it offers a better argument than you do. .Underlying all this discussion is the basic fact >>> "How does pakistan intend to handle the Pakistan occupied kashmir?.When it itself is incapable of handling its own freedom." Pakistan itself is being ruled by a military man.On one hand Pakistan claim that kashmir is theirs.That is they must feel very dearly passionate about them (like brothers).But then why do the Pakistanis want to drag kashmir in the kind of mess that pakistan is in. Pakistan must clean its dirt up rather than dragging thier so called brothers into it. :I have added a report on human rights abuse with kind permission of Amnesty International's press office whom I telephoned this morning. This should take care of your concern that the plight of Kashmiri civilians were not mentioned. Note The report also includes killings by the militants too although the Indian Army is mostly to blame. In regard to your question of troops I have taken Amnesty figures - They obtained these from Army Headquaters Northern Command at Udampur which is HQ for the Corps in the Kashmir valley and the Army Corps in Ladakh :I hope that rectifies the situation regarding the suffuring of Kashmiri Civilians :[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Contributions&target=81.1.116.178 81.1.116.178] on 06:51, 2 Nov 2004 :I totally agree, that this article seems to be extremely POV. An indian schoolbook-account would probably look similar. I think it is especially dangerous, that it mentions non indian claims (''it is alleged that'') but then dimisses them (''the actual reason is''). The german article seems to be somewhat more balanced but not as informative. I'd strongly support a split up of this article into a new ''Kashmir conflict'' article, where both sides can clearly and reasonably articulate their views. Wikipedia should not take part in the sad indoctrination the Indian media pushes forward when it comes to the history of Kashmir. --User:Grovel 18:05, Feb 14, 2005 (UTC) ==Human rights abuse== This report does NOT appear to be comprehensive as it does not talk about the dislocated Hindu Kashmiri Pandits forced to leave Kashmir. - [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Contributions&target=203.94.220.231 203.94.220.231] ''I am adding extracts of a UN speech by Mr. Menon on Kashmir (http://www.un.int/india/ind29.pdf). 1. The invaders led by Pakistan army continued their march along with Jhelum Valley road towards Srinagar on 22 October, days before Kashmir joined Indian Union. Their triumphant march was temporarily stemmed at Uri, a town fifty miles from Srinagar, by a demilition of a bridge and the gallant resistance of about 150 men under the command of a Brigadier of the Kashmir Army who was killed fighting a memorable last-ditch battle. The raiders managed to construct a diversion about mile long, requiring considerable engineering skill, since, according to "Dawan" of Karachi of 7 December 1947, it was completed in two days- that is to say, in this invasion the Pakistan appears or engineer regiments-their REME-must have participated. It was not possible for them to do otherwise. These men were resisted only by the national militia, by the local populations. They were not welcomed as liberators. They fought a last-ditch battle; they resisted these people. 2. Independent evidence has been offered by London newspapers which in no way could be regarded as being disposed too favourably towards India in these matters at that time. Alan Moorehead, correspondent of the London "Observer" in Pakistan, wrote as follows: "'The Pakistanis lookon this as a holy Muslim war.\" \"I read that deliberately, because that is the position even today. India is threatened by a campaign of hatred and preparation for an aggression against is territory. We shall not fire a shot and we shall not allow a solider to leave our borders, but just the same as anyone else we shall discharge our duty of self-defence. The correspondent wrote: "They look on this as a holy Muslim war. Some of them I have seen talk widely of going to Delhi. "Alan Moorehead motored to Peshawar and the Khyber Pass from where this crusade began. He wrote: "Everywhere recruiting is goingon... This is happening not only the tribal territory....but inside Pakistan itself" (Ibid No/.24). That was at the end of October and beginning of November 1947. There is also photographic evidence. As Associated Press photographer, presumably an American, flew over a section of Kashmir and said that he saw more than twenty villages in flames. The villages, in an area ten miles long and ten miles wide, apparently had been set fire to buy the Muslim invaders who were scouring the valley and moving'' in the direction of Srinagar'''''.(http://www.un.int/india/ind29.pdf). 3. Baramula, India, 10th November-The City had been stripped of its wealth and young women before the tribesmen fled in terror at midnight, Friday, before the advancing Indian Army. Surviving residents estimate that 3,000 of their fellow townsmen, including four Europeans and a retired British Army Officer, known only as Colonel Dykes, and his pregnant wife, were slain. When the raiders rushed into town on 26th October, witnesses said: 'One party of Masud tribesmen immediately scaled the walls of Saint Joseph's Franciscan Convent compound, and stormed the Convent Hospital and the little church. Four nuns and Colonel Dykes and his wife were shot immediately. The Raiders' greed triumphed over their blood lust'. A former town official said: 'The raiders forced 350 local Hindus into a house, with the intention of burning it down. The group of 100 raiders is said to be holding another five, as hostages, on a high mountain, barely visible from the town. Toda, twenty-four hours after the Indian army entered Baramula, only 1,000 were left of a normal population of about 14,000 (New York Times" by Robert Trumbull, dated 10 November 1947) 4. That Pakistan is unofficially involved in aiding the raiders is certain. Your correspondent has first-hand evidence that arms, ammunition and supplies are being made available to the "Azad (Invaded) Kashmir forces" (The Times, 13 January 1948) Ignoring all these, how can the author say, it is a free movement by tribal people?''It is terrorism (so called 'Jihad') by religious extremists sponsored by a military/mullacracy against a secular democratic republic. --User:66.185.84.71 06:20, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC) ==better maps?== I know it's touchy, but how about these [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/kashmir_disputed_2003.jpg], [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/kashmir_region_2004.jpg] (made by the CIA) -- they seem pretty objective, just with better resolution than ours. Or how about a satellite image, [http://blankonthemap.free.fr/3_geographie/31_cartographie/311_cartes_sats/311_carte_gen_sat1.htm] (by the NASA). User:DbachmannUser_talk:Dbachmann 19:18, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC) == NPOV : Human rights abuse == ''Jammu and Kashmir is one of the most militarised regions in the world and ordinarily has around 700,000 security forces stationed there (now said to be up to million).'' :Figures like 500,000 and above are often cited by Pakistani sources. Indian government puts the number of troops at 100,000 - 150,000 --User:DuKot 20:34, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC) :: I dont know the Pakistani sources you refer to. 500,000 is the number in the State as a whole and includes Siachen and the LoC. 150,000 is in the Valley proper. Text can be changed to reflect this information. User:Hornplease 01:16, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC) ''Human rights of the people of Kashmir continues to be ignored.'' :This is not a netural statement. There are instances of human rights violation. But to say that human rights are always ignored is incorrect. --User:DuKot 20:34, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC) ''Hundreds of cases of torture, deaths in custody, extrajudicial executions and "disappearances" are reported every year.'' :There are some instances of violation. Hundreds is not a neutral point of view. --User:DuKot 20:34, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC) :: Hundreds is NPOV if it is stated as fact by a neutral observer. See below. User:Hornplease 01:16, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC) 1. I don't think Human Rights Abuse should be a separate topic while discussing any trouble zone of the World, particularly when the Human Rights issue in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Chinese Occupied Kashmir is not put up. : I dont know if there are any humans in the Aksai Chin to have their rights violated. IN any case, if you have information about HR violations in PoK or the AC, cite your sources and edit the article to say so. Otherwise, HR abuse is a valid part of any article on Kashmir.User:Hornplease 01:16, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC) 2. The Amnesty International extract speaks of 700,000-1,000,000 troops which is clearly wrong as the total strength of the Indian armed forces all over India is 980,000. The AI report thus loses its credibility in this regard and cannot be put up as a credible source. :The AI article could be lumping paramilitaries such as the BSF and the CRPF together with Army regulars. This in itself does not lead to loss of credibility. However, if this section is not to be rewritten, I will require that the article be sourced.User:Hornplease 01:16, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC) 3. Further the Indian Army attempt to clear up stats and mis-statements need to be referenced http://www.armyinkashmir.org/v2/articles/art_kashmir_amuddle.shtml as an alternative viewpoint to present both sides of the picture if an NPOV cannot be arrived at. Contribution by 08:26, 15 May 2005 202.56.231.116 ::I am afraid, Amnesty is between Pakistani and Indian viewpoints of what is happening. An attempt to present 'all' viewpoints, and then limiting it to Amnesty and the Indian Army is doomed to fail. Other editors will then require Kashmiri and Pakistani viewpoints. I think a genuine Amnesty article is sufficient. User:Hornplease 01:16, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC) :Restored NPOV tag to human rights section. By definition, view of Amnesty international could not be considered a neutral. --User:DuKot 00:24, 30 May 2005 (UTC) :* Amnesty is an independent organisation and its viewpoint must be considered neutral. I suggest that you read the latest Amnesty report on HR abuses at this webpage: [http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=83727&cat=India]. Neither India nor its security forces are to be blamed for the detoriating HR situation in Kashmir. Pakistan is trying to use HR issue as propaganda. There are more HR violations in Azad Kashmir than in Jammu and Kashmir. --User:Guptadeepak 07:42, May 30, 2005 (UTC) :: This discussion is confused. Elsewhere on Wikipedia, an Amnesty article is considered NPOV as most people know the biases that they have, and that does not get in the way of their efficient information-gathering. If a genuine Amnesty report is linked to and quoted from non-selectively, then I will expect the NPOV tag to be removed. As I have stated elsewhere, if you have information about HR violations in PoK, source and edit. User:Hornplease 01:16, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC) :::Since nobody has linked to the original Amnesty report, I am deleting the reference. I will use the extracts from the article linked to, and remove the NPOV tag on the section. Any disgreements, please discuss on the talk page first! Thanks. User:Hornplease 06:04, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC) == Points to be included to present a NPOV complete pic of Kashmir == 1. The article does not mention the reasons for Pakistan dividing the part of Kashmir occupied them. This facet of political action by Pakistan needs to be addressed. Particularly the fact that it tries to delink the Northern Areas from the overall Kashmir discussion. This combined with its gift of Kashmiri land to China so as to gain political and military support. 2. There are several constituent peoples that form part of this division, who are different from the rest of Pakistan. Most areas are completely Shia and Ismaili followers as against the predominant Sunni followers in the rest of Pakistan. Given Pakistan's history of sectarian violence this is a facet that cannot avoid mention, particularly when the Sunnis try and exert their influence increasingly in these Shia areas. 3. Besides, the people of POK have limited freedoms compared to the rest of the people of Pakistan, ( a direct contrast to India ) this too because of the substantial Pakistani military presence here. There is no democracy, and the area as such is practically under army law, a clear human rights situation. 4. This area has been the hotbed of terrorism practiced on India by secessionist militants who get trained in Pakistan camps across this area. There is enough evidence on this and as such has been acknowledged by Pakistani authorities in power. This characteristic of the region needs to be captured in a world suffering under terrorist militancy. This particularly being the reason why the Indian army build up in Indian controlled Kashmir is high and when the terrorist militancy is the cause of deaths of numerous civilians, security forces, government establishments and infrastructure. This is the CAUSE to the effect that is felt in India which is captured by the article on Kashmir in Wiki. The CAUSE arising out of Pakistani actions in POK thus needs to be spoken about. 5. Human Rights issues in POK as well as Chinese occupied Kashmir for NPOV. All these will represent the balance, perspective and completeness that reflect cause and effect and bring about the necessary NPOV required. == POV == Pakistan calls the northern region 'Azad Kashmir'. India calls it 'Pakistan occupied Kashmir'. Mention of both would be POV. Arrive to a single term that doesn't offend both sides and remove the POV message --User:Neo77 11:27, 17 May 2005 (UTC) ==Terrorism== The article mentions little about terrorism in Kashmir . --User:Guptadeepak 15:10, May 20, 2005 (UTC) ::On the contrary, there is a clear mention of three different sorts of separatist groups, and how they are viewed by the Indian government. If more is required, then setting up pages for some of the larger groups, whether militant Islamic - Lashkar-e-Toiba - or secular secessionist - the JKLF - would be a good idea. No need for that on this page. User:Hornplease 01:04, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC) Also, there is a separate article Terrorism in Kashmir for that information. ==Shalimar Gardens== The article on Shalimar Gardens is the one in Lahore. But the one in Kashmir is completely different. Apart from sharing the same name, it has nothing to do with the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore. So why provide its link? --User:Guptadeepak 10:34, May 30, 2005 (UTC) :Because people reading the article want to learn about the Shalimar Gardens listed as written in the Kashmir article. Why the censorship?
Do I smell POV.--User:AI 10:38, 30 May 2005 (UTC) :* No No there is nothing like that. Just because Shailimar Gardens (Lahore) and Shalimar Gardens (Kashmir) are 2 different places, with different history and everything is different, except the same name. --User:Guptadeepak 10:43, May 30, 2005 (UTC) ::OK, my apologies. I will help fix this problem. Just bear with me over the next 20 minutes or so.--User:AI 10:45, 30 May 2005 (UTC) == Human rights abuses == === Where is the link to Amnesty International's report? === I don't find the link in the references or anywhere, could anyone kindly direct me to the right link to the Amnesty report from which the Human Rights Issue chapter is based on? If no one can direct me then I'm afraid I'll have to remove it in one week. Always quote your references with the right name to avoid such confusions in the future. Afterall some might post and just diappear or die and it's left for the rest of us to once again cull the same repetitive information in case of a doubt. Always quote your sources properly, that's a nice little habit.--User:Idleguy 05:07, May 31, 2005 (UTC) :: I second this. The report, besides, has clearly been selectively quoted from. Amnesty takes no part in the Kashmir dispute, and therefore is quite clearly NPOV, but the quotation should reflect their viewpoint accurately. User:Hornplease 01:00, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC) :: Just read this article [http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=83727&cat=India] on amnesty report. --User:Guptadeepak 16:05, Jun 10, 2005 (UTC) === India vs. Pakistan === Take a look at the edit on 30 May 2005 16:43 by User:70.23.190.110: :Pakistan has frequently used the tension in Kashmir to further its own political agendas and to deflect attention from the serious human rights violations in its own countries. ::was changed to :India has frequently used the tension in Kashmir to further its own political agendas and to deflect attention from the serious human rights violations in its own countries. Should both countries be mentioned?:
India and Pakistan have frequently used the tension in Kashmir to further their own political agendas and to deflect attention from the serious human rights violations in their own countries. :: I saw that edit - from Pakistan to India - and fell about the floor laughing. It should certainly be 'India and Pakistan' if for reasons of subject-verb agreement alone.User:Hornplease 00:52, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC) == NPOV : Claims to Kashmir == This article is clairly Pro india and Anti Pakistan beacause of the following * India has the second largest population of Muslims on this planet (Statement is false as i cannot find any numbers to back this claim so according to offical census the Muslim population of pakistan is greater then india. * Pakistan's claim is shown in the point of view of a indian * this article mention the Shia - Sunni Violenece but fails to mention the interal violence between radical hindu mobs and Muslims and christain and india's insecurity in the north eastern states. * This artice gives a impression that the terrorist in kashmir are Pakistani or Pakistani Backed (that may be true) But there is also local isurgency by fellow kashmirs who want independence and get rid of the indian army. * This article gives a impression that kashmirs want to join india rather then pakistan. thats futher then the truth infact given a choice they would not join either. : I agree with all yr points expect the 1st one. India does have a greater muslim population than Pakistan. There is no official census which says that Paki muslims are more than Indi muslims. To all the editors, please read Terrorism in Kashmir article. It represents both Indian and Pakstani point of view on the terrorism. I hope that the Kashmir article is also written in similiar fashion, perhaps even better. Thanks --User:Guptadeepak 12:26, Jun 21, 2005 (UTC) == SO BIASED == With all due respect to the editors, this is absolutely the most biased section I have ever read on Wikipedia. It rants on and on about India's history and "wonderful" constitution/secularism, while talking against Pakistan accusing it of being "radical" and "terrorist"(among endless other allegations). It has no NPOV or absolutely any Pakistani POV. Line by line, unverifiable, unfactual, false statements are being made to support Indian POV. People please understand that this is an encylopedia, NOT a persuasive essay and that this should be a professional NPOV section even though this is a controversial issue. We also don't need the article to be 80% history of India and rants about its constitution. Thanks. --User:Anonymous editor 01:14, Jun 21, 2005 (UTC) == Massive blanking == There was a massive blanking of most of the sections by . I'm not sure which of his edits are ok and which are just vandalism, but could the regular contributors to this page take a look into the diffs? Thanks --User:Ragib 21:21, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC) == Protection == I've protected this page so that both sides can trash out issues here. Once a compromise has been reached, it will be unprotected. =Nichalp">user:Nichalp «Talk»=">User Talk:Nichalp 09:02, Jun 21, 2005 (UTC) == Numerous spelling and grammatical errors == Beyond the idiotic content of this article, this article has numerous spelling and grammatical errors. For example, I believe there is no word spelled "capaicity" in the English language that I know of. I beg that whenever the POV issues are worked out that someone who actually has a significant comprehension of the English language edit this. I plead for all South Asians to refrain from using incorrect prose. Please peruse your local libraries. Reference works rarely refer to the author and definitely do not refer the author as "we" as if to signify some collective whole. Reference works also do not refer to the reader as you. They also do not rely on clauses seperated by parenthesis. An example of this idiotic style : Note that by this nomenclature, the word "Kashmir" in "Indian Kashmir" is used in a very general sense; more specifically, "Indian Kashmir" includes not only the Kashmir Valley (which is a proper part of Kashmir) but also Jammu and Ladakh (which are not parts of Kashmir per se, though they are parts of the overall region of "Jammu and Kashmir"). This may seem a little confusing if you are new to this subject, but after you read a bit more, we hope you will see that this nomenclature scheme makes a lot of sense. WE beg that YOU (insert clause here) learn to use the English language properly. WE hope that WE are understood by what WE say. Now doesn't that sound like a little like an Ayn Rand novel.

Kashmir



Disputed territories Subdivisions of India Pakistan People's Republic of China

See other meanings of words starting from letter:

K

KA | KB | KC | KD | KE | KF | KG | KH | KI | KJ | KL | KM | KN | KO | KP | KR | KS | KT | KU | KW | KX | KY | KZ |

Words begining with Kashmir:

Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir-struggle_for_right_of_self_determination
Kashmir/Archive1
Kashmiri
Kashmiri_insurgents
Kashmiri_language
Kashmiri_literature
Kashmiri_Militants
Kashmiri_music
Kashmiri_Pandit
Kashmiri_Pandit
Kashmiri_Pandits
Kashmir_(band)
Kashmir_(disambiguation)
Kashmir_(song)
Kashmir_crisis
Kashmir_crisis
Kashmir_Flycatcher
Kashmir_flycatcher
Kashmir_goat
Kashmir_Shaivism
Kashmir_Valley


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Kashmir



[[Image:Kashmir map.jpg|thumb|right| Shown in green is the Kashmiri region under Pakistani control. The dark-brown region represents Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir while the Aksai Chin is under Chinese occupation]] Kashmir is a region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. The term Kashmir historically described the valley just to the south of the westernmost end of the Himalaya range. Politically, however, the term 'Kashmir' describes a much larger area which includes the regions of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. The main "Vale of Kashmir" is relatively low and very fertile, surrounded by magnificent mountains and fed by many mountain streams flowing from adjoining valleys. It is renowned as one of the most spectacularly beautiful places in the world. Srinagar, the ancient capital, lies alongside Dal Lake (which is itself connected to a number of other lakes) and is famous for its canals and houseboats. Srinigar (alt. 1,600 m. or 5,200 ft.) acted as a favoured summer capital for many foreign conquerors who found the heat of the north Indian plains in summer oppressive. Just outside the city are found the beautiful Shalimar gardens created by Jehangir, the Mughal emperor, in 1619. The region is currently divided amongst three countries: Pakistan controls the northwest portion (Northern Areas, Pakistan and Azad Kashmir) (India calls these areas "Pakistan-occupied Kashmir" (PoK)), India controls the central and southern portion (Jammu and Kashmir), and the People's Republic of China has occupied the northeastern portion (Aksai Chin). Though these regions are in practice administered by their respective claimants, India has never formally recognized the accession of the areas claimed by Pakistan and China. Pakistan views the entire Kashmir region as disputed territory, and does not consider India's claim to it to be valid. {| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 10px 0 10px 25px; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #AAA solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; float: right;" |- style="background: #E9E9E9" ! Occupier !! Area !! Population !! % Muslim !! % Hindu !! % Buddhist !! % Other |- | rowspan="2" | Pakistan |Northern Areas | rowspan="2" | ~3 million |99%
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