Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
CONFLICTS IN THE NORTH
Azad Kashmir, and Jammu and Kashmir
Muslims first arrived in Kashmir in 711, and by the six-
teenth century it was known as an “ornament of the
Mughal Empire.'' After a period of Afghan and Sikh rule,
the British, having defeated the Sikhs, sold the regions of
Gilgit, Ladakh (now in India), and Kashmir to Gulab
Singh, a Hindu, Dogra chieftain.
Muslim agitation began in the 1930s. With partition
in 1947, Gilgit, Hunza, Baltistan, and other predomi-
nantly Muslim mountain states acceded to Pakistan. The
British “encouraged'' Kashmir' s Hindu ruler to join India.
That this mainly Muslim region would become part of
an independent, mainly Hindu India was anathema to
Pakistan. Religion was only one factor. Jammu and
Kashmir contain the five headwaters of the Indus River
(refer to Figure 7-3). Control of these rivers means control
of Pakistan' s fate.
With Muslims agitating to join Pakistan, NWFP
tribesmen entered the scene to “liberate” Jammu and
Kashmir' from Hindu India' s grip. A revolutionary
government was formed in northern Kashmir, which
became known as Azad Kashmir. This stimulated a
significant migration of Hindu Kashmiris to India.
Fearing for the lives of his fellow Hindus, the
Maharajah fled from Srinagar to Jammu and signed an
agreement to join India. The Indian army took control
and promised a plebiscite. In 1949, a United Nations'
Cease Fire Line dividing Azad Kashmir from Jammu and
Kashmir was accepted by both India and Pakistan. In
1956, Jammu and Kashmir formally entered the Indian
Union. The promised plebiscite was never held.
In 1965, with accusations of infiltration, spying, and
sabotage, another war broke out and lasted six months.
The following year, in a meeting at Tashkent in the Soviet
Union, Pakistan and India agreed to settle their disputes
peacefully .
Ideals of peace were shattered in 1971 with the East-
West Pakistan war and Indian intervention on East
Pakistan' s behalf. Fighting in Kashmir continued until
1972, when a new “Line of Control'' was drawn. A Kashmiri
Accord was signed by India and Pakistan in 1974.
Since that time, military fighting has been sporadic.
Skirmishes take place mostly on the Siachen Glacier.
This ice mass is strategically important because it com-
mands a China-India-Pakistan triangle formed by
China' s 1962 annexation of India' s Aksai Chin region.
Civilian conflict increased in the 1980s and 1990s.
Muslim uprisings, election boycotting, and anti-Hindu
been supported by the majority of Pakistanis who show
their disapproval by voting for fundamentalist politi-
cians, voicing support for remnant Taliban, and giving
sanctuary to Al-Qaeda operatives.
In 2010, The Economist noted that “al-Qaeda is
nebulous.” In other words, their members are everywhere.
“It is at once a secret organization, a network of militant
groups and a diffuse revolt.” They use mosques, madrassas,
and the Internet to spread their doctrine of terror. Another
tactic is to form “franchises” that include convicts who
have converted to Islam. It is estimated that more than
100,000 Pakistani militants received training by Al-Qaeda
in Afghanistan when the Taliban were in control.
Al-Qaeda is an international organization with
cells and franchises in numerous countries. It has a
network of allies that includes Afghan, Pakistani, and
Kashmiri extremists, followers in Somalia, Chechen
rebels, Indonesian militants, and more. A still broader
social movement includes self-radicalized groups of young
Muslims living in Great Britain, the United States, and
other Western countries. Suicide bombings are popular
with young men and some women who are indoctrinated
with the belief that they will be going to Paradise in the
name of Allah. Table 7-1 shows the impact of terrorism in
Pakistan since 2006. Clearly , the future of Pakistan hangs
in the balance.
Table 7-1 T Terrorist Acts in Pakistan 2006-2010*
Y ear
Injured ***
Killed **
2006
907
1,543
2007
3,448
5,353
2008
2,267
4,558
2009
3,021
7,334
2010 (to August)
1,000
1,392
T Totals
10,643
20,180
* T Terrorist acts include: landmines, suicide bombings, sectarian
violence, shootings, assassinations, government-militant battles, riots,
and bombings.
** As of June 2009, American and Pakistani aerial bombings were
responsible for 577 of the total deaths.
*** The numbers of injured do not include hundreds or perhaps
thousands that were never found and so are not included in the
counts.
Sources: Numerous sources such as the The Daily T Telegraph; ; BBC
News; CNN; and the International Herald T ribun , as reported at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_terrorist_incidents_in_
Pakistan
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