Kashmir: A Strategic View

Abstract

Kashmir has been a disputed region between India and Pakistan since the time of their independence and both claim that their stance on Kashmir has legal authenticity. It is a general perception that Kashmir is a bilateral conflict and has thus often been analysed with a focus on aspects which effect the interests and stakes mainly of India and Pakistan, although Indian authors also seek to evaluate the Chinese role in contrast to their traditional insistence that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and no third party has a role to play in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. However, the Kashmir issue has far-reaching effects beyond the region. Kashmir’s strategic location has, over the years, contributed to enhance its role in the regional geopolitical dynamics. The cold and post-Cold War politics and clash of interests of major regional and global powers has deeply affected the nature of the conflict. The focus of this paper is to search for the major obstacles in the way of promoting peace in the region and why it is very difficult for the conflicting parties to the dispute to arrive at a consensus solution.