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4 Claims to Kashmir
The Pakistani claim to Kashmir is based on the fact that the majority of Kashmir's population is Muslim. Since Pakistan was created as a nation for the Muslims of India, the leadership of Pakistan has always felt that Kashmir rightfully belongs to Pakistan. The Pakistani claim is also based on a belief that most Kashmiris would vote to join Pakistan, although this has never been proven or disproven.
The Indian claim centers on the agreement of the Maharaja to sign over Kashmir to India through the Instrument of Accession. It also focusses on India's secular ideology, an ideology that does not factor religion into governance of major policy and thus renders it irrelevant in a boundary dispute. India refuses to accept Pakistan's argument of being a Muslim state with regard to Kashmir arguing that India has a larger Muslim population than Pakistan.
Beyond this, India feels that the majority of the Kashmiri people would vote to remain with India, and it now considers Kashmir an integral part of itself. For this reason it sees the Pakistani-held territories as land illegally taken by Pakistan. The fact that Nehru's family came from Kashmir made the issue important to him on a personal level, and he also hoped that Kashmir would serve as an example of a fully secular India (being the only Muslim majority province in the nation).
5 Map Issues
As with other disputed territories, each government issues maps depicting their claims in Kashmir as part of their territory, regardless of actual control. It is illegal in India to disclude all or part of Kashmir in a map. Non-participants often use the Line of Control and the Line of Actual Control as the depicted boundaries, as is done in the CIA World Factbook, and the region is often marked out in hashmarks.
6 Tourist attractions
Available to see in Kashmir should one choose to visit there are the many house boats and boat taxis. The major religious sites are primarily bastions of ancient Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva. Also, there is the pretended tomb of Jesus Christ in the Rozabal section of Srinagar, visited by many though a source of great debate.
7 See also
8 Further reading
- Eric C. Margolis. 2000. War at the Top of the World. New York: Routledge. BooksEnthsiast.com.
9 External links
- Map Issues
Disputed territories
Kashmir
Regions of India
