Another perspective on the conflict of Kashmir is geopolitical. In 1846, the Kashmir region was "purchased" from the British by the predominantly Hindu Dogras. Apparently Hindu Dogra rule was autocratic and widely abusive of the rights—indeed few were granted—of the 77% Muslim population. Education of Muslims was neglected, resulting in widespread illiteracy; there was no free press; and Muslims suffered from oppressive taxation. These are social and economic issues; they are not intrinsically religious. The princely states of British India, of which Jammu and Kashmir was the largest, were given three choices: to join Pakistan, to join India, or to declare themselves as an independent state. The last Dogra ruler, Hari Singh, was a Hindu ruler, but more than three-fourths of the population of Jammu and Kashmir was Muslim. In the Kashmir Valley and the region around its capital Srinagar, the percentage of Muslims was even higher. While Hari Singh was vacillating in 1947, Muslim militants from the frontier regions of Pakistan began to infiltrate and attack Hindus, and India wanted to send federal troops to fight back, which it could not do legally until Hari Singh made his choice. He chose union with India, India sent in troops, and the fight was on.
Evaluation of sources
These two articles were posted in a study of the conflict of Kashmir. Together theses two sources deal with multiple levels of in depth study, which can help an historian make a decision of multiple view points on the issue. The sources are also based on much factual information about the subject. The author may have a certain bias as this is mostly likely a second hand source but it can be credited that the information presented is valid as all these events have occurred in the past century. The validity of the facts is highly reliable. The authors are very highly educated and are doctors in their study field, making them a reliable source for this investigation. Their purpose of writing is clearly to inform the reader of the current situation of the conflict of India and Pakistan by explaining the history of their conflict. Citing Ranbir Vohra's The Making of India, Dr. Hanks further argues that the Kashmir conflict is an extension of communalism, or the tendency of religious groups to protect one's own interests above everything else. The second Perspective author, Dr. Charles Fuller, does not disagree with the assessment that the people of Kashmir have fought to protect Kashmir's interests, but he contends that religious interests are only one of several root causes of the conflict. Dr. Fuller asserts that both hydro political issues and territorial interests have played a much larger role as India and Pakistan have struggled to dominate each other. The Kashmir struggle, Dr. Fuller says, is not rooted in religious conflict so much as in cultural, political, and geopolitical differences. By this we create the aspects of the issues dealing dealt with the Indo-Pakistani Wars. Both of the sources are from online databases, which are very reliable as the original source of the article are published works and can be trusted from their informative input.
Analysis
The precursor of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 was when the British withdrew from southern Asia and left any mild policies. “On March 15, 1946, British prime minister Clement Attlee made this statement, an excerpt of which appears below, regarding British policy in India. Essentially, the British promised to introduce measures that would result in India's independence, although Attlee voiced concerns that the various native factions struggling for control in India would tear the new nation apart. In the end, decolonization in India occurred faster than the British had originally anticipated, with the country achieving independence in 1947.” The British fled the state of despair and felt India and Pakistan to deal with their independence with themselves. The abandonment of the British and the lack of giving the grounds for the third world countries to develop, India and Pakistan pushed and pulled their way through their independence.
Unfortunately not many of the people were happy with the decisions of their leaders. In the state of Kashmir where two wars had taken place, the Muslims were the majority but were led by a Hindu leader. In 1846, the Kashmir region was "purchased" from the British by the predominantly Hindu Dogras. The Dogras ruled until 1947. Unfortunately, the Hindu rulers would have none of it. Kashmir goes to India as the last Dogra ruler, Hari Singh, signed Jammu and Kashmir to India, enraging many of the Muslims to revolt. Pakistan catches this immediately and attacks India, starting the first indo-Pakistan war in 1949, as a way to get their own justice for their Muslim foes but others see this as a way for them to get more land and to be in a superior position relative to India. Others say the trigger was actually the inequality of Muslims and Hindus in each of the regions. Education of Muslims was neglected, resulting in widespread illiteracy; there was no free press; and Muslims suffered from oppressive taxation. These are social and economic issues; they are not intrinsically religious. During the war, the Muslims were forced to try to get to Pakistan before the war reached a higher degree, as did the Hindus: stories about millions of people getting on trains or walking across the borders to save themselves. This undoubtedly can be seen as religious differences as an element of the wars.
One main reason for the conflict involves a vital resource: water. India and Pakistan have been engaged in an ongoing hydro political dispute over control of the Siachen Glacier, which is located along the disputed India-Pakistan border in the Himalayans. Control of the glacier is important because the glacial melt water serves as a main source for several key rivers in the region, including the Indus River, which is a significant source of water for Kashmir and indeed the entire affected area. Pakistan's concern is that India, which currently controls the Siachen Glacier, can use its strategic position to manipulate the water supply and deal a serious blow to Pakistan's economy.
Conclusion
The conflicts between these nations exist not only maybe by their religious differences but also their willing to expand to new and better grounds for their benefits. The Muslims weren’t being treated fairly in the Indian states. The Hindu ruler of Kashmir gave the land to India. Muslims lived in majority yet were not in control. But the aspect of the war for the countries to gain land and resources is definitely another viewpoint. Perhaps Gandhi was right in that, there should have been only one nation and that the people of Pakistan and India: Hindu or Muslim should have been a part of a greater and peaceful nation: being one country of many ethnicities.
Sources
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ABC-CLIO. "Background Essay." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 28, 2009).
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"India-Pakistan wars." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 28, 2009).
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Fuller, Charles J., "The Conflict in Kashmir is Geopolitical." World History: The Modern Era.ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 26, 2009).
- Ganguly, Sumit, “Indo-Pakistani Wars," in Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009, http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588350_4/Indo-Pakistani_Wars.html (accessed April 26)
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Reuel, Hanks, "The Kashmiri Conflict is Religious in Nature." World History: The Modern Era.ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 26, 2009).
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Strass, Steven D., The Complete Idiot’s Guide to: World Conflicts (New York: The Penguin Group, 2006), 175-186.
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"British Policy in India (1946)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 28, 2009).
Hanks Reuel, "The Kashmiri Conflict is Religious in Nature." World History: The Modern Era.ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 26, 2009).
Charles J. Fuller, "The Conflict in Kashmir is Geopolitical." World History: The Modern Era.ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 26, 2009).
Sumit Ganguly, “Indo-Pakistani Wars," in Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009, http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588350_4/Indo-Pakistani_Wars.html (accessed April 26)
"British Policy in India (1946)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO.http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 28, 2009).