Folks!
Just imagine you are living in the world of 1815 AD.
Ask yourself What's going on in the region from Kashmir to Afghanistan and parts in between that are now a country called Pakistan.
So it is 1815 AD, This area is more or less independent of Delhi rule (or soon to be independent).
Move from this year all the way to August 1947. then stop.
And ask some fundamental questions.
1. Will Kashmir be peaceful regions from 1815 AD to 1947. will this be the golden period of Kashmir.
2. Will Afghanistan be peaceful regions from 1815 AD to 1947. will this be the golden period of Afghanistan.
Then ask the same questions with the period from 1947 to 2015AD
1. Has Kashmir been peaceful regions from 1815 AD to 1947. has this been the golden period of Kashmir.
2. Has Afghanistan been peaceful regions from 1815 AD to 1947. has this been the golden period of Afghanistan.
Thank you.
Some of you must be wondering why I started this thread? That old tried question "Why?"
Here are simple answers:
1. To do a controlled study to find the destabilizing factors in the region before and after 1947
2. To learn from the successes of any period that brought stability to Kashmir and Afghanistan before and after 1947.
Hope this helps to focus your answers and posts.
p.s. Since this topic is so vast, I'll continue adding to this thread as time permits.
@Atanz,
@Gufi,
@Slav Defence,
@Luftwaffe,
@WebMaster,
@Jungibaaz,
@jaibi,
@notsuperstitious,
@Azlan Haider,
@ajpirzada,
@DESERT FIGHTER,
@AgNoStiC MuSliM,
@Jazzbot,
@Jf Thunder,
@Hyperion,
@JonAsad,
@Nihonjin1051,
@cirr,
@Cherokee @Donatello,
@Genesis,
@Bamxa,
@SarthakGanguly,
@Cat Shannon,
@Butchcassidy,
@Norwegian,
@Mr.UTurn,
@GreenFalcon,
@Syed.Ali.Haider,
@Joe Shearer,
@scorpionx,
@Irfan Baloch, @orangzaib,
@jhungary,
@Xeric,
@Icarus,
@CENTCOM
Timeline of Kashmir
1819-1947
Major Milestones
1819 - Control Passes to Ranjit Singh of Lahore after being under control of Durrani Empire and Mughals for past three centuries or so.
1845 Anglo-Sikh War: Gulab Singh (Dogras) conspired with British in a nutshell to gain control of Jammu and Kashmir from Sikhs. British got control of Lahore as part of Lahore Treaty from Sikhs and Gulab Singh gets Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
1857: Dogras provide passive support to British and take no major part in the 1857 War of Independence.
This period was characterized by intensive taxes but was relatively free from religious tensions and strife. There was a Hindu rule and Hindu customs like ban of beef slaughter was imposed, some mosques were closed but the Hindu minority and Sunni Muslim Majority lived in relative peace as they did all over India.
Reasons for Peace:
1. The resentment was directed towards the White Britishers who were perhaps consider an alien force unlike physically similar Hindus and Muslims.
2. Dogras and Sikhs were not totally despotic as evidenced by interest free loans granted to farmers during the famine of 1832 and waiver of half the taxes.
3. Less awareness of rights, no proliferation of media like newspapers, T.V. news etc.
4. Population was used to autocratic rule. Conditions all over India were more or less similar. No yardstick to compare their situation too?
1947-2015
I believe we are more or less well informed about the timeline so I will straight away get into reasons for destabilization
Facts
1. In 1947, 1965, 1999 Pak army and tribals from Pakistan invade Kashmir with a view of detaching it from India which has led to increased violence.
2. Destabilization is supported by Pakistan at least morally. It is the stated goal of Pakistani Govt to detach Kashmir from India by giving support for popular uprising against Indian State.
3. AFPA (Armed Forces Protection Act) is discriminatory against Kashmiri Population.
4. Huge presence of Indian Army at Kashmir to prevent terrorism, eliminate insurgency and discourage Pakistan from invading Kashmir. Human Rights violations have been committed by Indian army and due AFPA there is no clarity whether the violators are punished justly.
5. Lack of Plebiscite which would settle the Kashmir question for once and all. People of Kashmir would get to be masters of their own destiny rather than being a bone of contention b/w India and Pakistan.
6. Increased communication access which has led to ease of spread of tensions via internet, cellphones, print and electronic media
.
