Kashmir Conflict: A Six-Decade Dispute between India and Pakistan

Sixty years ago, the United Nations set out to distinguish the country to which the area including the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range belonged. The UN suggested the region, called Kashmir, could either become part of India or Pakistan, or become independent. Naturally, India and Pakistan were both enthusiastically interested in acquiring the region. In the last six decades, India and Pakistan have fought three wars with the intentions of resolving the Kashmir conflict. In 1948, men from Pakistan invaded Kashmir to gain control of it. Kashmir, however, enlisted the help of India to protect them from the invasion. In exchange, the ruler granted India control of Kashmir. Since then, Kashmir has been a part

The Indus River, for example, is a compelling element of the region of Kashmir. The river originates in the Tibetan Plateau and is the most important river in both Pakistan and India. It brings water and therefore fertile land through Pakistan and into India. Without the resources brought by the river, people will suffer from a lack of fertile land and consequently a lack of crops. Because the Indus flows through Kashmir, the country with control of Kashmir would also gain complete control of the river. Unfortunately, neither country trusts the other enough to share the river. Economically, the river is very important to both Pakistan and India so it serves as a reason for the two to fight for Kashmir. There are also cultural and social reasons that Kashmir has further importance. For example, Kashmir is home to many religious sites. These sites are important to both the Hindus in India and the Muslims in Pakistan. Religion is very important to both of these countries; it is the reason they separated in 1947. The religious importance of Kashmir due to these sites makes the battle more significant. Additionally, Kashmir is appealing because of its location. For India, it serves as a buffer between them and Pakistan. For Pakistan, it is a perfect route into India should they choose to

To begin, we should not send in ground troops. They would not be an effective buffer because they would cause tensions in the region to rise even more. We would also be putting our American troops at risk. The last thing we need is to send more of our soldiers into unstable, violent areas. Another action we should not take is give Pakistan money to buy Kashmir. We cannot buy peace. This would also make India unhappy with us which is something that would take a negative toll on our economy. The U.S. is already trillions of dollars in debt. It is not a good idea for us to give away money right now. A third action that we should refrain from taking is making Kashmir an independent