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Luke Crum

Mr. Sebestyen

December 3, 2016

Honors World Regional Geography

APEC Essay

After the British rule of India ended, British-controlled India was split into countries,

India (Hindu), and Pakistan (Muslim). Since the split, tensions have been high between the two

nations. They soon went to war and terrified the world when both developed nuclear programs. It

seemed that India and Pakistan were on the verge of a nuclear war which certainly would have

decimated the entire region. The main source of the conflict was the Kashmir region which lies

on the border between India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan have failed to develop a positive

relationship because of the conflict in Kashmir.

The main reason for India and Pakistans dispute is the question of who should control

the Kashmir region. The area lies between India and Pakistan and is home to a wide variety of

people. This includes the Muslim majority, as well as Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs. When the

partition of India occurred, the Hindu leader of the country, Maharaja Singh, wanted Kashmir to

stay an independent state, while the Muslim majority wanted Kashmir to become a part of

Pakistan, since Muslims are a majority there. This is a crucial point in the history of Kashmir

because it created tension inside the region. Unfortunately for the Muslim majority, Kashmir

ceded to India and became a part of it. Pakistan then invaded Kashmir causing a war to start

between India and Pakistan, since Kashmir was part of India. In all, three wars over many years

tormented Kashmir until a cease-fire was negotiated. The situation remains unresolved even
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today. The fact that it is unresolved is important because it shows that the disagreement between

India and Pakistan did not end when the cease-fire was signed. For these reasons, Kashmir is

obviously the biggest problem between India and Pakistan today.

The conflict in Kashmir is occurring for many reasons. The first and possibly the most

important reason is that the Indus River flows through Kashmir. This is important because the

Indus is the main source of water for irrigation and drinking in Pakistan. Due to this, Pakistan is

rightfully opposed to Indias control of the region. Another reason is religion. Since the majority

of people living in Kashmir are Muslim, they want to side with Pakistan which is where their

faith is most commonly practiced, however the Muslims living on the Indian side of Kashmir are

under Indian rule, where Islam is less common. This is another important source of tension in the

region. The conflict in Kashmir is old and complex and the causes of it are innumerable,

however, the main reasons are religion and the Indus River, which are the biggest contributors to

it.

The conflict in Kashmir is such a large problem because it affects such a large number of

people in India, Pakistan, and Kashmir itself. If India were to control the entirety of Kashmir

today, the people of Pakistan might not have enough drinking water. Additionally, the Muslim

majority in Kashmir would harshly transition from a majority to a minority causing tension and

uproar. Since Pakistan controls about half of the region, these issues are not as much of a

problem as they could have been. The biggest problem in Kashmir today is that the borders

between the Indian-controlled Kashmir and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir are not well-defined.

This is a major problem because people who think that they live on either the Indian or Pakistani

side might actually be living on the opposite side. Another reason that the Kashmir conflict is so

great is its complexity. Since there is no singular cause for it, it is much more difficult to resolve
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while still taking into consideration the needs of each country involved. This conflict is very

complex, which makes it a huge problem for India and Pakistan.

I do not think that the conflict in Kashmir will be resolved any time soon. It is much too

old and complex for one solution to solve all of the problems that the region faces. In time,

however long that may be, it could be resolved. The resolution would take years or even decades

to come to. It will be difficult to reach a solution because the needs of India, Pakistan, and China

which controls a small part of the regionwill have to be considered. This will be a task that

will prove to be extremely difficult. For these reasons, it will take a very long time to solve the

problems in Kashmir.

India and Pakistan have been at arms since their creation. Three wars and countless

political disputes have plagued them since the beginning. Kashmir is the main cause for all of

this. The conflict there poses a serious problem for both countries. In years or decades, it might

be resolved, but until then it will be best for both countries to strive for peace and to try to keep

the region as stable as possible.

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Works Cited

Why Are Pakistan And India Fighting Over Kashmir? YouTube, uploaded by Seeker Daily, 18

March 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlI5yArLvLU&t=99s.