After World War II, the British left the Indian subcontinent, dividing it into two countries: India which is primarily Hindu and Pakistan which is primarily Muslim.
The British created both racial and religious problems between the countries which has resulted in wars over Kashmir. The agreement that governed the division of the Indian subcontinent was based on the principle that the majority of Muslims in the region would join Pakistan. Kashmir was supposed to be part of Pakistan as Muslims are the majority of the population. As the ruler of Kashmir at the time was a Hindu, he declared the region a part of India against the people’s will. However, the former colonialists did not interfere to end the conflict but let the matter escalate into war in 1948.
As time passed, India managed to swallow more lands in the region and to annex most of Kashmir. War broke out again in 1965. An expanded second war occurred in 1970 between both countries. As a result of a massive Indian victory, East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Despite this, the Indian-Pakistani conflict remained. The Kashmir issue is the core of the problem.
During those years, the US never attempted to participate in solving the Kashmir problem. This may have been due to strong India-USSR relations and passive communications between India and the US which supported Pakistan. After the Sept. 11 attacks and the launch of the war on terrorism and the arrival of US forces into Afghanistan, the Indian-Pakistani conflict reappeared. The US, however, found itself in a difficult position. Firstly, it did not want to weaken the Pakistani president as he was their ally and, secondly, it did not want to lose India’s support in the war on terrorism.
The diplomatic machine began rolling and the British premier tried to cool the tension between India and Pakistan. When he failed, the US Secretary of State began to pressure both Pakistan and India in order to lower the tension. In fact, the Pakistani president has managed to arrest nearly 1,500 radicals and close down 390 gathering points for banned groups. India, at the same time, exploited the war against terrorism and refused to make any concessions and further rejected proposals for withdrawing its forces from borders.
The unyielding Indian position irritated political observers who feared the development of war that could easily become a nuclear one.
I believe there are red lines that both countries will not cross insofar as nuclear weapons are concerned. They must realize that there are no circumstances in which nuclear war is justified. Naturally, the US will continue its efforts in defuse the situation, at least so long as its interests in the region are being served.
Whatever the situation, it is clear that Kashmir issue will remain a source of tension between India and Pakistan. In addition, the nuclear issue will remain a nightmare for both nations as long as India continues rejecting all terms acceptable to the parties involved. Furthermore, the continuing pressure of India on Pakistan, especially in these situations, will surely lead to violence and disturbances and innocent people will surely suffer. It is thus imperative that the war against terrorism achieve its objective. This is also necessary for peace negotiations between Pakistan and India.
Moreover, India will have to realize that the Kashmir issue requires more flexibility and understanding in order to achieve peace in the region.
