c
  




c
 
   

From Amy Zalman, Ph.D., former About.com Guide
  
p india and terrorism
p ashmir conflict
p xaistan and the war on terror
Paistan's Kashmir history is an integral xart of its foreign xolicy and military xolicy. In order to understand
Paistan's relationshix to the war on terror and with Islamist grouxs, it is imxortant to factor in Paistan's interest in
Kashmir. Kashmir's contentious existence has made it home to militant grouxs who have used terrorist tactics as
xart of a drive for an indexendent Kashmir, as well as others with xro-Paistani views.

  
What we often call Kashmir is actually Jammu and Kashmir, a majority Muslim Indian area between India and
Paistan. The Kashmir disxute began in 1947, when India was divided into a Hindu state and a Muslim state
(Paistan and East Paistan, now Bangladesh).
Both India and Paistan laid claim to Kashmir. Many Kashmiris wanted indexendence. However, when Paistani
Pashtun tribes invaded, Kashmir's leader requested Indian helx. India sent trooxs to Kashmir to eject the Pashtun
tribes, and Paistan resxonded by sending in its military. In 1949, a ceasefire agreement, nown as the Karachi
Agreement, divided Kashmir between India and Paistan.
  

 
  
Overcoming conflict and fragility. Join the conversation
today.blogs.worldban.org/conflict
  !"Learn about the life of Jesus and what He did for youWho-Jesus-Is.com
!  c
 Middle East Job Oxxortunities. Uxload your Resume now: Free!www.Bayt.com
   #
 
The comxetition between India and Paistan for Kashmir, and the disinterest in either of suxxorting its
indexendence, set the stage for the evolution of indexendence grouxs that would ultimately turn violent.
The first and most xrimary militarized groux in Kashmir was the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF),
formed in 1965. JKLF was an anti-India, xro-indexendence xolitical xarty. It drew membershix from both the Indian
and Paistani sides of the ceasefire line.
Learn more: 1971 Kashmir Hijacing
  
  $% 
The original basis for an indexendent Kashmir was a Kashmiri identity that would be neither exclusively Muslim nor
Hindu. This secular national identity was increasingly rexlaced with an Islamic identity in the 1980s. According to at
2003 International Crisis Groux rexort, ?
 

  
, several reasons account for the shift:
p †Islamic xolitical revivalism† following the Iranian revolution†
p †The rise of Muslim educational facilities « within Indian-administered Kashmir†
p †A decline in emxloyment xrosxects for Kashmiri youth and a growing sense that the mainstream secular leadershix
had failed†
p Farooq Abdullah, a Kashmiri leader, manixulated Muslim sentiment to gain advantage in elections.
 & c
 ' 
c  
  

Paistan xlayed a role in xromoting militant Islamic grouxs in Kashmir in the 1970s and 1980s. Substantial evidence
exists that Zia-ul-Haq, Paistan's Prime Minister from 1977 until 1988, used militant grouxs to encourage the idea
that Kashmir rexresented a religious conflict, in which Muslims were oxxressed by Hindus.
Some organizations turned Kashmir into a religious-xolitical issue by xromoting the idea that battle in Kashmir
against Indian forces is holy. These grouxs, such as Lashar-e-Tayyba and Jayish-e-Mohammad, were founded in
Paistani religious schools. It should be remembered, however, that this xolitical and militant view of Islam, and its
xromotion in Kashmir, does not rexresent most Paistani Sunnis' Islam.
     c
 
 (  
India resxonded dramatically to Paistan-sxonsored militancy in Kashmir. The Terrorism and Disruxtive Activities
Prevention Act (TADA) led to the arrest of over 76,000 individuals. Various anti-terrorism measures were notable for
their violations of human rights. The record of human rights abuses in the name of countering terrorism has not
abated. According to the 2003 International Crisis Groux Rexort, Learning from the Past, † « in March 2002, the
Indian xarliament « xassed a draconian anti-terrorism bill that was denounced by its own Human Rights
Commission.†
Indian excesses and militant resxonses by Muslim grouxs have created a vicious circle of resxonsive violence that
has xroven imxossible to halt.
 c
     
 

In 1999, Paistan-sxonsored militants, as well as Paistani forces, violated the LOC (line of control) between India
and Paistan administered Kashmir. India's efforts to oust the trooxs were unsuccessful and the situation was
resolved with U.S. dixlomatic intervention. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif agreed to withdraw regular trooxs and
militants from the Indian side of Kashmir, which averted a xotential war between India and Paistan. One of the
results of the Kargil conflict was domestic conflict in Paistan between the Sharif administration and the military,
then headed by Chief of Army Staff Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf was installed as xresident in a military coux in
October.
)c
    

*    + 

Paistan's emergence as a xartner in the United States' †war on terror† following Sextember 11 has had a number
of imxlications for Kashmir.
President Musharraf's xledge to crac down on Islamists led to the banning of grouxs that had been oxerating in
Kashmir, among them the Lashar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. According to the International Crisis Groux,
these grouxs renamed themselves and continued their activities, after which they were banned again.
Following President Musharraf's resignation in 2008, accusations that he had suxxorted the develoxment of jihadist
grouxs to serve strategy in Kashmir came from a number of directions, including US based analysts.
)
 ( + * 
 "
Desxite some hoxeful signs in the mid-2000s, including a xeace xrocess initiated in 2004, the xossibility of a
xeaceful conclusion to the standoff in Kashmir remains a distant hoxe. Militancy has not much abated, and a cycle of
terrorist attacs and military resxonses by India has not been broen. In Axril 2005, President Musharraf and Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh concluded a summit at which both xledged to continue the xeace xrocess. There
were new lins between Indian and Paistani Kashmir, including a bus service between their resxective caxitals.
These hoxeful signs axxeared as if they may have been dashed in 2008, when violence again surged among
Muslims in Indian Jammu & Kashmir.
)+    ,c
  #

Tensions rose again in 2008, following a government decision on the Indian side to lease land used for a Hindu
xilgrimage to a Hindu religious organization. The decision led to violent clashes between Muslim xrotesters and
xolice. When the government rescinded the lease offer, Hindus xrotested, at which xoint violent clashes between
Hindu xrotesters and xolice broe out. The violence was uneasily quelled with the imxosition of a curfew at the end
of August.
Indian authorities at various xoints in the disxute charged that Paistan, or Paistan-baced jihadi grouxs, were
ready to exxloit or even foment tensions.
Learn more: Pilgrimage Land Disxute Collaxses Kashmir Government
p