Understanding the India-Pakistan relationship and Kashmir Issue

Kashmir has been a thorny subject between the two countries, with an unsolved border dispute. It has contributed the most to the worsening of the India-Pakistan relationship. Terrorism, particularly against India, born on Pakistani land, is another important issue that has strained the India-Pakistan relationship.

Despite numerous constructive measures, the India-Pakistan relationship has reached an all-time low, with several lingering difficulties. The two nations saw bloodshed in the three wars fought between the armed forces in 1965, 1971, and 1999, and India defeated Pakistan in all three wars. 

Let us look at some of the highlights of the India-Pakistan relationship here.

The Current Situation and Issues in the India-Pakistan Relationship

• With the change of government in India, there was a belief that a tough stance toward Pakistan would be taken. However, India’s current Prime Minister (PM) proposed the concept of “Neighbourhood First,” which focused on strengthening relations throughout the Indian Subcontinent.
• Some constructive measures were taken by the government, such as Cordially inviting the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the inauguration ceremony of the new Prime Minister of India, and The Indian Prime Minister paid a surprise visit to Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s house in Lahore.
• However, developments have not been encouraging since the strike on the Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot in January 2016, just a few days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Pakistani counterpart. Talks between the countries have come to a full halt at all levels. Back-channel negotiations, on the other hand, are rumoured to exist.
• With mounting discontent and a dangerous situation in Kashmir since mid-2016, India has accused Pakistan of fanning the flames of unrest by designating terrorists martyrs.
• Terrorist attacks on security personnel have grown since then. During the strike on the Uri Army base camp in September 2016, A Pakistan-based organisation also carried out the attack, killing 19 Indian soldiers. (Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was also behind the 26/11 assaults)
• A retired Indian navy officer- Kulbushan Jadhav, captured by the Pakistani authorities along the Iran-Pakistan border located in Baluchistan and charged for spying by Pakistan, is still in Pakistan’s custody.
• On February 14, 2019, in Pulwama, district of Jammu and Kashmir, a vehicle loaded with suicide bombers attacked the military vehicles transporting security officers on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway, killing 40 innocent Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Terrorism and Kashmir

• Terrorism across borders has always been a problem.
• Some experts go so far as to suggest that both countries are always at war.
• Although a ceasefire agreement was reached in 2003 following the Kargil conflict, regular cross-border ceasefire violations have occurred, with the pattern showing an increase in breaches from 2009 onwards (except 2014). It has murdered and injured security forces and people on both sides.
• With the change of government in India, a new attitude to human rights breaches has emerged. The new government’s harsh attitude has resulted in widespread reprisal for the unprovoked firing.
• As a result of this desperation, the number of terrorist infiltrations from along the Line of Control (LOC) has increased, which has been a regular occurrence for some time.
• Following the disastrous floods of 2014, there was increased unrest in the valley as the chasm between the Kashmiri people and the administration widened. The assassination of Burhan Wani, the militant chief of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist organisation, provoked massive rioting in Kashmir, straining the valley. Post this, the situation has been highly volatile, with the valley daily facing protests and stone-pelting.
• Pakistan has seized the opportunity and fanned the protests by providing every available assistance to those fighting the Indian establishment and military in the state. During a United Nations General Assembly meeting in 2016, Pakistan’s Prime Minister went even further, calling Wani a martyr and the people of Kashmir’s resistance to an Intifada.
• Following the January 2016 attack on the Pathankot airbase, the relationship thawed again, particularly when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook an unscheduled visit to Pakistan to meet with his Pakistani counterpart. The attack on the Uri Army camp in September 2016, killing 19 Indian soldiers, prompted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to warn that “talks and terrorism” cannot coexist in Kashmir.
• The Indian Army then carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control, targeting militant infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir (PoK). They took place toward the end of September.
• In the first case, India tinkered with the Indus Water Pact. This treaty has survived the test of time and a stormy relationship for more than 55 years, disputing whether or not to utilise Pakistan’s west-flowing rivers’ water capacity fully.
• As a result, India has taken the position that there will be no discussions between the two countries until Pakistan does more to combat the terrorism threat.
• Pakistan, on the other hand, Pakistan is willing to engage in talks with India but insists on including and discussing the Kashmir problem, which it raises at every opportunity.

Conclusion

Despite the potential for rapid economic growth and development, South Asia has been unable to make headway due to India and Pakistan’s disputes and tensions. Improved India-Pakistan ties can ensure resolve the future threats to the subcontinent.