Why has the conflict between India and Pakistan been so intractable Essay

Why has the conflict between India and Pakistan been so intractable - Essay Example However since independence the relations between the two nations have been very sour with India and Pakistan having fought three battles against each other. The situation has reached an alarming intensity as both these nations are nuclear armed and another conflict between the nuclear armed nations can lead to a global catastrophe. The conflict between the two nations has continued since 1947 and has even starched longer than the cold war. There have been a number of contentious issues between the two nuclear powered nations however the conflict becomes intractable because of the fact that there is a territorial dispute between the nations. According to a research a conflict between two nations can be termed as intractable when specific tangible stakes involving land territory or other tangibly divisible aspects become symbolic in the sense that they are converted into intangible aspects in terms of zero sums that make it difficult to break and divide (Khan, 2009, p.61-62). The confl ict between India and Pakistan can be termed as intractable considering the fact that the bone of contentious issues lies in the disputed territory of Kashmir in which both the nations stake their claim. India refuses to Pakistan’s claim that Kashmir is their part as the area has a majority of population that follows the Muslim religion. India on the other hand being secular nation rubbishes the latter’s claim as it believes in the accession treaty signed by Maharaja Hari Singh, the last king of Kashmir in which he agreed to accede Kashmir into India (Ganguly, Diamond & Plattner, 2007, p.52). The following section would try to deeply analyse the aspects that have led to the conflict assuming such an intractable nature that still continues to capture global attention. Analysis In order to better understand the reasons behind the intractable nature of the conflict it is very necessary to look back to the history that led to the creation of these two states. The conflict between the two nations can be traced to the days of British colonialism in which both the nations were under the British rule commonly referred to as the ‘Raj Era’. In order to consolidate their rule in the nation, the English applied the ‘Divide and Rule’ policy taking advantage of the large number of diverse religious communities in the nation by turning one community against the other. In 1947 when the British decided to grant independence, it divided the unified India into 547 princely states. In addition to this the last viceroy of British India, Lord Mountbatten also encouraged the Muslim league leader Mohammed Ali Jinnah in keeping up his demand to either accept him as the ruler of independent India or carve out a separate state of Pakistan comprising the north western states of Punjab, Baluchistan and Sind. Mahatma Gandhi, the main architect of the independence movement in India had to accept the partition plan of India following which the unified India was divided into India and Pakistan (East and West). Post partition India chose to remain secular while Pakistan declared itself as an Islamic nation bound to ‘Sharia’ laws. The partition resulted in widespread riots claiming thousands of lives across both the borders and also left thousands homeless and orphaned. Meanwhile, the focus of the issue shifted to Kashmir that was a Muslim dominated area and on the basis of this Pakistan launched an armed assault on the state that was not a part of India or Pakistan and was under the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of Jammu province. Unable to stand the attacks by Pakistan, Maharaja Hari Sing