In Focus: Kashmir's Uneasy Peace

Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/asia/india-conflicts-within

After nearly two decades of bitter conflict in Kashmir that fueled tensions between India and Pakistan, separatist violence has decreased — to its lowest level since the armed uprising began.

Still, nearly 700,000 Indian troops are deployed around the state. And there are mounting concerns that if the government does not reduce its presence, frustrations may spark a new cycle of violence.

This report is part of Pulitzer Center-sponsored project "India: Conflicts Within" (http://bit.ly/uSE3fZ) by Jason Motlagh.

Credits:

Kashmir's Uneasy Peace

Reporter: Jason Motlagh
Videographer: Girish J
Editor: Anupuma Chandra

Produced by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

With support from the Stanley Foundation's Rising Powers project. Learn more at risingpowers.stanleyfoundation.org/

Read "Maoists in the Forest: Tracking India's Separatist Rebels" by Jason Motlagh in the Summer '08 issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review.
www.vqronline.org

"Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal" is an Azimuth Media production.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Pulitzer Center
• Kashmir
• India Conflict
• Kashmir Conflict
• India
• Pakistan
• Pakistan And India Conflict
• Religious Conflict in India
• Ethnic conflict in India
• Maoist Insurgency in India
• North East India

[pkamalesh]

A few Kashmiris are trying to ignite the sentiments of locals by brain washing them.

Look at the quality of life in pakistan. Common pkistanis are killed by these terrorists in pak. They r just using pakis and Kashmiris for their own goals. Those radicals are not humans and no brothers of yours.

India is a country of ethics, freedom and peace. India is giving you free and fair democratic elections but some people are opposing it. Even locals say they want peace and development and not aazaadi.

[talkwing]

Religions are fake and all divisions based on religions are fake. There is no difference between Indians and Pakistanis, let alone Kashmiri muslims and Indians. Lets not keep dividing ourself, it will only make the subcontinent weaker for others to exploit. Progress of Kashmir, India and Pakistan can be taken forward with the current boundaries. There is no pressing need for division, if one is expansive enough to get beyond stupid things like religion.

[karma10pa]

the reason y u speak ur mind is something u should be thankful to the democracy that this country offers u.....its just that u guys only know the language of guns jihad!!!!!

[JUGNU4]

AZADI

[oratorspeaker]

why dont they just allow anybody to buy land in kashmir that way it can be fully integrated into india.like what china is doing in tibet

[jghgfghj]

kashmir belong to india...and if kashmiris dont want it to be so, its their problem

[pratiktripathy]

Not getting personal, nor I'm taking this discussion any further, given your level of knowledge, I'll be wasting my time.

Anyway, it was not Mr. Gandhi who promised (He was not the nation-head, so he could not), it was Mr Nehru. Again he did not promise it "infront" of UN, but declared in All India Radio.

Well, Kashmir will stay with India, period.

No amount of discussion will change it, so I would discuss it any further.

[soni204]

pakistan will never accept any illegal occupation in whole of world. isreal is a illegal occupation on arabs land and so do kashmir. indians are illegaly occupied on kashmiri people land like british people was on india.

we didnt went to united nation for the kashmir cause it was ur Mr gandhi who went their and he promised infront of united nation to solve this problem by giving the right of self determination to the people. but he lied and backed off from his promise.

[soni204]

i didnt said 1500 figure was said by india in 1996, read again. there are many reports on the internet of indian atrocities which i am sure u dont want to go through, and what we pakistani did with kashmiri people. have u got any proof against them and if you say we did something in bangladesh then now its a seprate country now do u want to free kashmir as you are saying your figures are better then pakistan????

[pratiktripathy]

And it's just double standards of Pakistan to point to the UN resolution. Pakistan never accepted the UN's resolution of formation of the state Israel. It's only when the issue of Kashmir pops up then u start talking about UN.

In any case, what does the UN say about Kashmir, that first both Pakistan and India leave Kashmir, then let the people of Kashmir decide where they want to go. To even this, Pakistan said NO.

[pratiktripathy]

Do not confuse the dates here. India did not give the 1500 figure on 1996, it was in 2006. And where in the heaven did you find those numbers; millions!!! The graves never contained women and children. Here is the report by Amnesty International

amnesty . org / en / appeals-for-action / thousands-lost-kashmir-mass-gr­aves

This is definitely not something we Indians are proud of, but the numbers are much better than that of Pakistan's.