the question to be asked at this point of time is: why there is a situation of deadlock in the Kashmir issue between the two countries? It’s because of the fact that no side is willing to give an inch to another. Islamabad says Kashmir should have become part of Pakistan in 1947, because Muslims are in majority in the region. Pakistan also argues that Kashmiris should be allowed to vote in a referendum on their future, following numerous UN resolutions on the issue.
On the other hand, India does not want international debate on the issue, arguing that the Simla Agreement of 1972 provided for a resolution through bilateral talks. India points to the Instrument of Accession signed in October 1947 by Maharaja Hari Singh. Moreover, both India and Pakistan reject the option of Kashmir becoming an independent state.
According to experts, religion is an important aspect of the dispute. Partition in 1947 gave Muslims of India a state of their own: Pakistan. So a common faith underpins Pakistan’s claims to Kashmir, where many areas are Muslim-dominated. In theory, the population of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir is over 60 per cent Muslim, making it the only state within India where Muslims are in majority.
The LoC divides Kashmir on an almost two-to-one basis: the region in the east and south, with a population of about 9 million, falls into the Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir, while the Pakistani-administered Kashmir to the north and west, with a population of about three million, is labelled by Pakistan as "Azad" (Free) Kashmir. China also controls a small portion of Kashmir.
The US has an interest in seeing if a final settlement of the Kashmir issue can be reached, and is trying to help build on the progress made by India and Pakistan on the composite dialogue. “The US is not a mediator. But we respect the considerable progress that’s been made by Pakistan and India in the composite dialogue and we are just trying to help build whatever we can on that progress,” pointed out the US Under Secretary of State, Nicholas Burns, recently.
The friction between India and Pakistan is relevant to the rest of the world not only because both are the newest members of the nuclear club, but also because it affects the stability and economic potential of a region that includes more than a billion people, some 950 million in India alone.
Regarding Kashmir, India has moved away from its hard stance that it would not negotiate until border incursions stopped. It has also withdrawn some of its troops. Pakistan, on its part, has relaxed its demand that a plebiscite be conducted to resolve the dispute. Neither country any longer claims the whole of Jammu and Kashmir. Citizens in each country are beginning to see that a compromise is needed.
Theoretically, the Pakistani establishment realises that its 14 year-old policy of trying to bleed India through Kashmir has failed. India has not only absorbed the damage, but has won a good deal of sympathy from the international community, especially the US.
In India and Pakistan the domestic environments have changed for the better. The peace constituency exerts genuine influence on the dialogue; it represents the wishes of average citizens who are eager to improve relations with their neighbour.