In February 2021, India and Pakistan agreed
to strictly observe all previous agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control and
other sectors, and to address core issues and concerns. It was their first joint statement
in over eight years. But will the agreement be upheld this time? Both countries have come
close to an all-out military conflict several times in the past two decades. DW takes a
look at factors that are driving the hostility between the two South Asian neighbors. India and Paki
stan gained independence from
British colonial rule in August 1947. Until 1971, Pakistan had two wings; the eastern
part of the country then separated from West Pakistan and became Bangladesh. The territorial dispute over the Kashmir region
became a flashpoint between the two new states soon after the partition of India. Both countries
now rule parts of this Himalayan region but claim it in its entirety. A war broke out between India and Pakistan in October 1947 after armed tribesmen from Pakist
an's
northwestern region invaded Kashmir. Maharaja Hari Singh, then Kashmir ruler, sought India's
assistance to expel the tribesmen. The war officially ended on January 1, 1949, with
a large part of the region acceding to India and a smaller area controlled by Pakistan. The two countries clashed over Kashmir in
succeeding decades as well. In 1965, Pakistani forces initiated Operation Gibraltar to infiltrate
the India-administered Kashmir. New Delhi retaliated by launching a full-scale military
a
ttack against Pakistan. The war ended in a stalemate. In March 1971, the Pakistani military launched
an operation in its eastern wing to crush Bengali separatism. Islamabad accused New
Delhi of supporting the nationalist insurgency in the region. Millions of Bengalis fled to
India for protection, which allowed New Delhi to intervene in the conflict. The nine-month
freedom struggle by Bengali rebels forced the Pakistani military to finally surrender
on December 16, 1971. Bangladesh emerged on the
world map as a new independent state. In the late 1980s, an armed separatist movement
erupted in India-administered Kashmir. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of providing military
and political backing to the insurgents. Indian forces dealt with the insurgency with an iron
hand. International rights groups blame India for committing grave human rights violations
in its war against separatism. In 1999, Pakistan and India once again engaged
in a military confrontation over Kashmir. The Kargil War came
to an end after Pakistan's
then-prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, agreed to withdraw Pakistani troops from the region
under the Washington Accord. Apart from its strategic value, Kashmir is
also a major water source for both India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan have also been at loggerheads
over Afghanistan. After gaining independence from British rule, India
maintained close ties with the regime in Afghanistan, which Pakistan considered a security risk.
After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
in the late 1970s, Islamabad got itself fully
involved in the conflict and subsequently backed jihadi groups in the country to defeat
communist forces. Western countries, particularly the United States, supported Pakistan in this war. Since the start of the new millennium, Pakistan
and India have avoided a direct military conflict with each other. Instead, the two countries
have engaged in a proxy war, mostly in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Ties between India and Pakistan deteriorated
again after mi
litants attacked the Indian parliament in December 2001. New Delhi blamed
the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group for the assault. Islamabad denied any involvement
in the attack. In 2004, India and Pakistan signed an agreement
to ensure ceasefire along the Line of Control (de facto border between the two sides). It
was followed by the launch of a formal peace process in 2004. In November 2008, 10 militants carried out
coordinated attacks across Mumbai, killing 163 people. India once again blame
d Lashkar-e-Taiba
for the assault. Tensions between the two countries began to
ease after Nawaz Sharif came to power in Pakistan for the third time. Sharif and Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi held talks in 2014. The following year, Modi made a surprise visit
to the Pakistani city of Lahore to attend the wedding of Sharif's granddaughter. In February 2019, a militant attack on a convoy
of Indian army vehicles in Pulwama killed 40 soldiers. New Delhi conducted retaliatory
air strikes inside Pa
kistan, claiming to hit a training camp run by the Jaish-e-Mohammad
group. On August 5, 2019, India abrogated Kashmir's
semi-autonomous status – a move, according to Premier Modi, aimed at curbing the insurgent
movement and terrorism. Pakistan condemned the move, calling it an attempt to annex the region. The conflict has also taken a toll on cultural and trade ties. Even the coronavirus pandemic
could not bring the two states closer together. Relations between India and Pakistan continue
to be
tense, with experts saying they are unlikely to improve anytime soon.
Comments