For decades since partition, Kashmir has been an issue of long standing dispute between India and Pakistan. Far from being a tourist attraction, with its beautiful landscape, it has become a constant war zone, with military troops permanently on alert. With the war on terror at the forefront of many governments' policies, a brief look at this region is required. To understand the nature of the issue, a quick history lesson on the state of Kashmir is required.

Pre independence, under British rule, Pakistan existed as a state under India, and before religious riots broke out, Hindus and Muslims lived a relatively peaceful coexistence. With the dawning of independence, riots flared, primarily a result of Muslims fear that the party that would take power, the National Congress Party, would treat Muslims unfairly. Riots, very much like those that recently erupted in Gujarat in 2003, became commonplace, with many people being put to their death in the name of religion. The Muslim League and The National Congress Party consequently entered into years of political wrangling, mainly the result of the ML supporting partition whilst the NCP was against it. Inevitable, partition occurred, with the state of Pakistan being created. This ultimately went against the very ideals that Gandhi had fought for, which were a united nation of self-rule. Ultimately, with the solution of partition that the British unilaterally supported, would trigger years of conflict over the state of Kashmir.

Kashmir, at the time of partition, was predominantly a Muslim state ruled by a Hindu. To cut a long story short, Kashmir was granted a state of autonomy, with its own Prime Minister, to ease the political and social wrangling that was taking place. Rather than being the widespread solution to all the problems as it was initially thought, it triggered years more violence. With India and Pakistan in a state of war post partition, the UN was forced to step in and create a cease-fire. What resulted from that cease-fire is the current geo-political situation that we see today, with the central and eastern areas of the state being known as Jammu and Kashmir (being governed by India) with Pakistan taking control of the northern areas.

The middle to late 1950's again saw the Kashmir issue come to the forefront. With the prime minister of India being unable to negotiate a state of peace with Pakistan, largely a result of Indian nationalists' anti-Pakistan sentiment. At this point in time, China entered the fray, contesting regions of Kashmir. Initially, it was thought a peaceful resolution could be reached, but these negotiations failed, and in 1962, the Indo-China war erupted. Western intervention forced China to unilaterally declare a ceasefire, but continue to occupy some of the territories it had invaded.

But the oft-disputed state saw only a few "peaceful" years before becoming a war ground for India and Pakistan. Multilateral negotiations had been going on since the 1950's, and Pakistan, in what many considered a rogue manoeuvre at the time, attempted to wrest control of the state from India by force, causing the eruption of the second India-Pakistan War. The war continued for a couple of years, before another UN intervention led to a ceasefire and the consequent Soviet hosted peace talks in modern day Tashkent. The resulting agreement led to the line of control, or cease-fire line as it was called then, being re-established.

For a period of approximately 25 years, the region saw little political activity as Pakistan and India focused their political efforts on other areas. But in 1989, the issue of Kashmir again came to the forefront of media attention. Whereas previously Kashmir had been a political issue, the subject of political wrangling between the two nations, a new element emerged: a separatist insurgency, made up predominantly of Muslim Kashmiris. Given the political stand of Pakistan's government at the time, and the fact that the insurgency was working to destabilize peace and force a war with India, the Pakistani government began to support them both financially and materially.

On a political level, the main aim of this insurgency was to force the Indian government into action to determine the status of the state. Whilst it had been granted a level of autonomy post independence, this had been gradually scaled back over the years, as the government saw the need to integrate the state into mainstream India, even bringing it under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. It is these moves that have essentially angered Pakistan and the militants. But it is unclear what the insurgents' main aims are, as some are supporting a reintegration into the state of Pakistan, whilst other extremists support the creation of an independent state. Unfortunately, recent years have seen the insurgents take on a more militant agenda, with a priority being placed on mayhem and terror amongst the common people without pushing an agenda of their own. Recent years have seen a more concerted move towards violence, with negotiations having failed time and again. Extremists from the region have been bold enough to attempt, and to a certain extent successfully, bomb parliament in New Delhi.

The addition of a nuclear arsenal to the two countries military abilities has only further fuelled tensions surrounding the region. May 1998 saw the explosion of nuclear devices. Whilst the cover story put forward was military testing, it was clear to all that these tests were a show of strength to the other country, and the sending of a clear message, that being war was on the cards. Heavy international pressure was put on both countries to resolve the dispute, as a nuclear war was the last thing the region needed. The Prime Ministers of both countries managed to negotiate a peace agreement, and this was seen as the dawn of a new era of peace, unfortunately short lived. May 1999 saw the incursion of Pakistani troops into Indian-controlled Kashmir, but the forces were quickly routed. The US President, Bill Clinton, interceded, preventing a total outbreak of war.

The political instability of Kashmir was further brought to ground as a result of General Musharraf's coup. A man with a military background who had fought the wars between the two countries, he continued to deny Pakistan's stance of state funded terrorism, claiming his regime was only interested in resolving the Kashmir issue peacefully, and only providing "moral, political and diplomatic support" to the extremists. In the last couple of years, there has been a gradual change in Musharraf's stance, with a more concerted effort towards negotiating peace with India, mainly brought about as a result of September 11. This is not to say that the situation is entirely Pakistan's fault. On the contrary, deep-rooted nationalist sentiments in Indian government, along with primarily Hindu nationalist policies, have seen little decisive action on the region.

That indecision, coupled with years of conflict, has seen the area become a haven for terrorists, as the insurgents have gradually become an independent body, fighting a war on two fronts. The aims of the insurgency have been lost, with the local militia waging an intifada, very much like in the Middle East. Their aim of independence has been lost in the years of bloodshed, and the people of Kashmir, who initially saw the militia as freedom fighters, have come to hate them, as they are a constant disruption to their lives. The recent change of stance by Musharraf to wage a war against them, rather than aid them, has seen them lose substantial ground, but being as well equipped as they are, they have come back time and again. Rather than being the simple self-funded and government-funded militia they were, they have evolved to become wings of major terrorist groups.

So how did such a beautiful valley become the playing ground of terrorists? The answer lies not in government policy, but rather amongst the people that make up the region. Living in poverty for over 50 years now, and with no resolution in sight, terrorist wings have infiltrated the townsfolk, spreading propaganda about the two governments, and inciting religion as their cause. Whilst the combined deployment of over a million troops in the region by the two countries has seen them root out most of the militias, a lack of on the ground presence has inhibited the successes of the governments. Intelligence on the area has been of little help, and with the increasing worry of Al-Qaeda operatives filtering into the region from Afghanistan; it has become increasingly difficult to determine the innocent from the guilty. Recent times have seen a huge increase in suicide bombing in the region, and it appears a lot of the tactics being employed are based on the Palestinian uprisings. Recent years have seen an expansion of their activities, with hijackings of commercial fights being added to their repertoire. The hijacking in late 1999 saw them gain a major political victory, with several key terrorist leaders being released by the Indian government in exchange for the civilians being held hostage.

So how does the situation in Kashmir compare with any other terrorist problem in the world? Well, the essence is the same. Cells operate, no clear hierarchy exists and the inability of the military to maintain peace only aids their cause. Corruption in the respective governments has seen policies stall. Kashmir is fast becoming a breeding ground for terrorists, and is being likened as the next Afghanistan. Elements of the Taliban are now firmly rooted in the region, with the belief that their rule can rise again in Kashmir. Recently, the Indian military deployed a further couple of hundred thousand troops in the region, escalating the tension in the region. With the NCP having recently returned to power, and notorious for their hard line stance on Kashmir, it is likely the region will see an escalation of violence. For the simple fact of the matter is, whilst the common Indian and Pakistani wish peace for the region, neither will accept a softening of their respective stances. Most nationalists see it as their right to ownership of the land. Moderates have suggested a return to autocracy for the region, with both national governments taking a constructive interest in the parliamentary process, but these ideas have been drowned out by the more persuasive, yet alledgedly less nationalist, politicians. It is clear that until the corruption and stagnation that exists in the two countries governments is rooted out, Kashmir will continue to be a war zone, a dangerous breeding ground for the next generation of terrorists.

So what does the future hold for Kashmir? With heavy instability in Afghanistan, there is little hope of seeing a stable government being instituted in the area. With the death toll bordering on a million since independence, India and Pakistan have pledged an end to the conflict in the region and between the two nations, it would appear that internal problems in the respective countries must first be resolved. Were either country to soften their stance on the region, it is likely to cause uproar amongst the public. Religion, combined with politics, has made for a dangerous game of cat and mouse, with no end in sight, the ultimate losers being the common Kashmiri, who simply craves a day of peace.

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