Since 1947 India and Pakistan have been feuding over the Kashmir border. Today Pakistan has confirmed the air force has shot down two Indian fighter jets that trespassed to their territory. This action has added tension between the two nuclear-armed powers.
In an effort to understand this ongoing feud we intend to make a brief historical recapitulation. The irreconcilable differences between India and Pakistan originated in 1947 with the UK granted independence to the region and the decision of the Maharajah reigning at that time decided to declare Kashmir belonged to India since the majority of the population living there was Muslim, this did not sit well with Pakistan.
In 1949, the ONU acted like an intermediary and declared a ceasefire while there was a referendum that permitted both countries to resolve their differences peacefully.
In 1971, the two rivals fought over what was originally East Pakistan, but we know now as Bangladesh. In 1972, this led to the Simla Agreement. It officially separated Kashmir and it should have been a new start of a positive relationship between Pakistan and India as the line of ceasefire was transformed in the line of control.
However, although they weren’t in war anymore, the rebellion in Kashmir still carried on in the 1980’s. In the 1990’s the conflict was escalating again and both countries were fighting again at the line of control.
Kashmir is a region in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent surrounded by Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China. The region is under control of India, Pakistan and China.
On November 2003, for the first time in 56 years, India and Pakistan signed a ceasefire agreement. Both had lost so much. Only three years later, in September 2006 both governments decided to initiate a peace treaty. Unfortunately, this process did not last much. In 2008, there were multiple terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Indian government blamed a terrorist group belonging to Pakistan. All intentions with an amity nature were vanished.
To this day there is no ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed powers. With the attack on behalf of Pakistan to the aircrafts we can only expect back fire from India.
Jillian Neuvenheim & Estefanía Gordillo Gómez
