Is Kashmir strategically important?
The caravan trade routes from Central Asia to India pass through Kashmir. Strategically, Kashmir is vital to the security; it has been so ever since the dawn of history. Its northern provinces give direct gateway to the North West province of Pakistan and Northern Punjab.
Who should have Kashmir India or Pakistan?
India controls approximately 55\% of the land area of the region that includes Jammu, the Kashmir Valley, most of Ladakh, the Siachen Glacier, and 70\% of its population; Pakistan controls approximately 35\% of the land area that includes Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan; and China controls the remaining 20\% of the land …
Why did Kashmir become part of India in 1947?
The Dogra ruler at the time, Hari Singh, initially wanted Kashmir to become independent. But when tribesmen from Pakistan attempted to invade the region he agreed to join India in October 1947. India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru sent troops to protect Kashmir from a possible Pakistani invasion.
Why are all stakeholders trying to communalise Kashmiri history?
Ever since that episode, however, all stakeholders in the Kashmir conflict have been attempting to communalise Kashmiri history. The struggle of the valley’s working-class Muslims has been reduced to their religious identity, as if the religion that they follow makes their anger somewhat illegitimate.
What happened to Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy?
On August 5, India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government issued a surprise executive decree stripping away the autonomy that the state of Jammu and Kashmir was granted in exchange for joining the Indian union after independence in 1947.
What were the problems faced by Kashmiris during Dogra rule?
Under the Dogra rule, Kashmiris were forced to fight in all of Britain’s wars, including the two world wars. The Dogra rule was possibly the worst phase in terms of the economic extortion in Kashmir. Most of the peasants were landless since Kashmiris were banned from holding any land.