India Pakistan The History Of Unsolved Conflicts Volume I

When the British withdrew from India in 1947, two new states were created, India and Pakistan. Ever since there has been near permanent conflict between the two, breaking out in to all-out war on three occasions. The main point of contention in this conflict is the area of Kashmir, which both parties lay claim to. This study offers a comprehensive historical and political evaluation of the unfolding crisis, in a way that is approachable for anyone with a keen interest in the political, without needing any previous knowledge. Lars Blinkenberg (1931-) a law graduate from Aarhus University in Denmark, as well as a student of Law and Political Science at Cambridge is a man who has dedicated himself to the foreign services. He has served with Danish embassies in London and New Delhi as a counsellor before rising to Ambassador to Venezuela (81-86), Nigeria (92-96) and Syria (96-99). He is a man with a wealth of experience of international politics and conflict.

Why has the valley of Kashmir, famed for its beauty and tranquillity, become a major flashpoint, threatening the stability of a region of great strategic importance and challenging the integrity of the Indian state? This book examines the Kashmir conflict in its historical context, from the period when the valley was an independent kingdom right up to the struggles of the present day. Located on the borders of China, Central Asia and the Sub-Continent, the insurgency in the valley has also created serious tensions between India and Pakistan. Drawing upon research in India and Pakistan, as well as historical sources, this book traces the origins of the state in the 19th century and the controversial "sale" by the British of the predominantly Muslim valley to a Hindu Maharaja in 1846. Through an exploration of the implications for Kashmir of independence in 1947, it gives a critical account of why, for Kashmir, self-determination may seem a more attractive option than affiliation to a larger multi-racial whole.

The book is a very concise and well-informed study of the India-Pakistan problem. It analyses how the unresolved conflict is eating into the resources of the two countries and impeding their social and economic development.