| India and Pakistan, as two nations united by | | | | in August 1947. Under the partition plan |
| history but divided by destiny, are almost | | | | provided by the Indian Independence Act of |
| like two estranged siblings. Their rivalries | | | | 1947, Kashmir was free to accede to India or |
| over five decades have prevented both the | | | | Pakistan.The Maharaja, Hari Singh, wanted to |
| countries from realizing their full economic | | | | stay independent but eventually decided to |
| and geopolitical potential.Since the founding | | | | accede to India, signing over key powers to |
| of India and Pakistan as separate states in | | | | the Indian Government - in return for |
| 1947, the dispute over who should control | | | | military aid and a promised referendum.Since |
| Kashmir has been one of the world's most | | | | then, the territory has been the flashpoint |
| enduring and violent conflicts. There are | | | | for two of the three India-Pakistan wars: the |
| also signs of a religious conflict at play, | | | | first in 1947-48, the second in 1965. In |
| pitting predominantly Hindu India against | | | | 1999, India fought a brief but bitter |
| Muslim Pakistan.There has been a paradigm | | | | conflict with Pakistani-backed forces that |
| shift since the initial stages of insurgency | | | | had infiltrated Indian-controlled territory |
| in Kashmir. The direct, bold, loudly | | | | in the Kargil area.Theoretically speaking, |
| eulogized direct strategy of the insurgents | | | | there was a sudden mushrooming of a number of |
| establishing themselves as protectors of the | | | | jihadi groups in mid-1990s in J&K. With the |
| people of Kashmir and suitable spreading | | | | purse strings tightly controlled by the |
| their cause through the media, has since seen | | | | Pakistani leadership, the supposedly |
| many changes in the methodology.It is worth | | | | indigenous struggle of freedom for all in |
| recalling that the territory of Kashmir was | | | | Kashmir became a Pakistan-sponsored fight of |
| hotly contested even before India and | | | | terror. |
| Pakistan won their independence from Britain | | | | |