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Kashmir has remained an unfinished business between India and Pakistan since the partition which led to the independence of the two countries in August 1947. The then ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh remained undecided over the issue of accession until October 1947 when armed tribesmen from Pakistan's north-west frontier province, with its support, invaded Kashmir. The Maharaja requested military assistance from India and in turn signed an instrument of accession to India, handing over powers of defence, communication and foreign affairs. (Timeline).
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| India | Kashmir Region | India-Pakistan Border: Kashmir Area | Pakistan |
Armed resistance to Indian rule broke out in the Kashmir valley in 1989, with some groups calling for independence and others calling for union with Pakistan. The insurgency intensified in the 1990s with the emergence of several new Islamic terrorist groups based in, and receiving support from Pakistan. Terrorist activities also spread to other parts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In October 2001, the Kashmir assembly was attacked resulting in 38 deaths, and December 2001 witnessed an attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi which left 14 people dead. India blamed Pakistan-based and supported organisations for these and other attacks, and moved substantial elements of its armed forces to its border with Pakistan provoking a similar response from the latter.
During the first half of 2002, as terrorist attacks continued, India also banned flights by Pakistani aircraft over Indian airspace, withdrew its High Commissioner from Islamabad and subsequently sought the withdrawal of Pakistan's High Commissioner from New Delhi. Sporadic shelling over the ceasefire line in Kashmir also intensified.
On 14 May 2002 armed men dressed in army uniforms carried out an attack on an army cantonment in Jammu province resulting in 32 deaths and another 43 injured. The casualities were mostly women and children. India placed its forces on a higher degree of alert and moved warships from its Eastern Naval Command to the Arabian Sea, reinforcing its naval presence in the region. For a while it appeared that the two countries would go to war, which could result in a nuclear exchange with disastrous consequences.
This led to growing international concern and the United States, working closely with the UK, Russia and China sought to defuse tensions. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage visited Pakistan and India in the first week of June 2002 and his mission appears to have been successful. Pakistan has given assurances that it would dismantle terrorist training camps and prevent terrorist infiltration from its side of the ceasefire line. India has agreed to withdraw its warships from forward deployments, appoint a new High Commissioner to Pakistan, resume air links and permit overflights by Pakistani aircraft.
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