Timeline of the Kashmir conflict


The following is a timeline of the Kashmir conflict, a territorial conflict between India, Pakistan and, to a lesser degree, China. India and Pakistan have been involved in four wars and several border skirmishes over the issue.

1846–1945: Princely state

  • Kashmir Valley was a Muslim-majority region speaking the Kashmiri language and had a distinct culture called Kashmiriyat.
  • The Maharaja accepted these recommendations but delayed implementation, leading to protests in 1934. The Maharaja granted a constitution providing a legislative assembly for the people, but it was powerless.
  • Soon afterwards, the younger leaders of the Muslim Conference pleaded for broadening the party to include all the people of the state.
  • Two independent candidates that won were said to have joined the Muslim Conference afterwards.
  • At the same time, the National Conference joined the All India States Peoples Conference, a Congress-allied group of movements in princely states.
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1946–1947: Kashmir unrest and accession

1946

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Early 1947

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April 1947

  • The exodus increased in June and continued until August.
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May 1947

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June 1947

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July 1947

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August 1947

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September 1947

  • Henry Lawrence Scott, the Chief of Staff of the State Forces left his position. About 100,000 Muslims from East Punjab and an equal number of non-Muslims from West Punjab were safely escorted through Jammu by the State Forces.
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October 1947

  • , stated to be the beginning of the 1947 Jammu violence.
  • This stalled due to the impending invasion.
  • Thousands of Pashtuns from Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, recruited covertly by the Pakistani Army, invaded Kashmir along with the Poonch rebels, allegedly incensed by atrocities against fellow Muslims in Poonch and Jammu. The tribesmen engaged in looting and killing along the way. Pro-Pakistan members of the Maharaja's army rebelled at Domel and took control of the Jhelum river bridge.
  • Batra carried a message from the Maharaja which requested military assistance and proposed accession to India.
  • until such time as the will of the people could be ascertained.
  • Tribesmen again poured into Kashmir.
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November 1947

  • 6 November became a remembrance day in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.
  • The day is remembered as the "Mirpur day" in Indian-administered Jammu.
  • However, the agreement was vetoed by Jinnah: "No commitments should be made without my approval of terms of settlement. Mr. Liaquat has agreed and promised to abide by this understanding," read his note to the ministers. The next day, India's Defence Committee was informed that Pakistan was reinforcing the tribesmen.
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December 1947

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1948: War and diplomacy

January 1948

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February–April 1948

  • No reinforcements were possible due to closure of the Zoji La pass by winter snows. The Ladakhis appealed to Nehru for help.
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May 1948

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July 1948

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August–December 1948

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1949–1962: Plebiscite conundrum

1949

  • As per the 1948 and 1949 UNCIP Resolutions, both countries accepted the principle that Pakistan would secure the withdrawal of Pakistani intruders followed by withdrawal of Pakistani and Indian forces, as a basis for the formulation of a truce agreement, the details of which were to be determined, followed by a plebiscite. However, the countries failed to arrive at a truce agreement due to differences in interpretation of the procedure for and extent of demilitarisation, one of them being whether the Azad Kashmiri army was to be disbanded during the truce stage or the plebiscite stage.
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1950

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1951

1952

  • , which provided for the autonomy of the State within India and the autonomy for regions within the State.
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1953

  • Large protests were held in Delhi and other parts of the country.
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1954

  • He stated his concerns about the cold-war alignments and that such an alliance affects the Kashmir issue. India resisted plebiscite efforts from this point.

1955–1957

  • India's Home Minister, Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, during his visit to Srinagar, declared that the State of Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and there can be no question of a plebiscite to determine its status afresh. India continued to resist plebiscite efforts.
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1959–1962

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1963–1987: Rise of Kashmiri nationalism

1963–1969

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1970–1979

1980–1986

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1987–present: Kashmir Insurgency

1987–1989

  • The MUF candidate, Mohammad Yousuf Shah, a victim of the rigging and state's mistreatment, took the name Syed Salahuddin and would become chief of the militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. His election aides called the HAJY group - Abdul Hamid Shaikh, Ashfaq Majid Wani, Javed Ahmed Mir and Mohammed Yasin Malik - would join the JKLF.
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1990–1999

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2001–2009

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2010–2018

  • Indian authorities claimed that this was a vote of the Kashmiri people in favour of democracy of India.
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2019–present

  • According to a 6 September 2019 report of the Indian government, nearly 4,000 people have been arrested and many were tortured. The report also claimed children were detained, which was later found to be false in December 2019. More than 200 politicians, including two former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, along with more than 100 leaders and activists from All Parties Hurriyat Conference were detained in the disputed region.