Kashmir is divided into three parts-Gilgit, Baltistan and the Pakistan Administered Kashmir(PaK) under the control of Pakistan,the Jammu province, the Kashmir Valley, Siachen and Ladakh region under the control of Pakistan and Askai Chin and Sakshgam Valley under the control of China. While Pakistan controls 37% of Jammu & Kashmir, the India controls 43% of the state. To understand the reason of this dispute and division of Kashmir we need to look at the Indian ndependence Act 1947. It had Lapse of paramountcy in it. It stated that all the princely states of India after Independence would have their three choices.
They may join India.
They may join Pakistan
They may remain as an Independent region.
A total of 565 princely states were given freedom to choose from the above list. Depending upon the lapse of paramountcy and the two nation theory the Hindu dominated princely states decided to join India, but in case of Kashmir, there was a problem. The Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir, Raja Hari Singh decided to remain independent in between Pakistan and India. Jammu & Kashmir a muslim majority state had a hindu ruler but a muslim dominated population and Mohammad Ali Jinnah the founder of Pakistan wanted Jammu & Kashmir to be a part of Pakistan whereas Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India had Kashmiri ancestry and wanted Kashmir to join India. Mohammad Ali Jinnah tried to win over Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir by promising every special treatment but the Maharaja was unable to take any decision. Hence as an outcome the Muslim league created uproar in Jammu & Kashmir by sending in Pathan tribesman to capture Kashmir.
The princely state of Jammu & Kashmir tried to resist this invasion by use of their own armed forces but was only able to delay the invasion not stopping it. In the mean time under desperate Mahraja Hari Singh sought India’s help but Sardar Patel India’s then Home Minister said India can do nothing unless the Mahraja accedes to India. The Mahraja decided to join the Union of India and signed the Instrument of Accession with the Government of India . After accession the protection of Jammu & Kashmir became the priority of India as the state now became the part of India. Indian army was sent to defend Kashmir and first war broke out between India and Pakistan in 1947. As the Indian troops swept in with full force they were able to push the invading tribes men from Kashmir towards the western front. In the mean time India’s then Prime Minister Pt. Nehru decided to refer this dispute to the United Nations under Article 35 of U.N. charter. This move created the longest standing dispute between the two nations.
The U.N. Resolution called for a plebiscite in Kashmir only after Pakistan withdraws its troops from the portion of Kashmir lying under its control. India agreed to hold plebiscite but Mohammad Ali Jinnah the founder of Pakistan decided against it. Pakistan claimed that Kashmir had signed a stand still agreement before being annexed by India. Hence the Gilgit Baltisatn part of Kashmir which were still under the possession of invaders became part of Pakistan and the Kashmir Valley, Ladakh ,Jammu which were under the control of Indian army became part of India. In the 1962 Sino-Indian war over border dispute in which the Chinese took control of Askai Chin and Trans Karakoram region of Kashmir which brought China in a position to share it’s border with Pakistan directly. Since 1947 Kashmir remained a core issue for the Pakistani establishment, as it says India had annexed Kashmir by violence and force and India on the other hand legally considers the entire Kashmir as her own part under the Instrument of Accession. India later on rejected the Plebiscite as Pakistan resists the Indian resistance and Kashmir continues to be the core issue between India and Pakistan.
( The author is a student. Views are exclusively his own [email protected])
