The most dangerous spot in the world has erupted: the Great War has begun MAP

Since gaining independence from the British Empire in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought several wars and conflicts, almost all over the rights to Kashmir, which both countries own.

After the partition of British India into majority Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan, Kashmir became a matter of dispute.

The First War already in 1947

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Although it had a predominantly Muslim population, it was ruled by a Hindu prince at the time.

Already in October 1947, the first war broke out between the two newly founded states. Thousands of people died in that conflict, and the war ended in 1948 without a final solution.

Division into three parts and the Line of Control

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A year later, in 1949, a cease-fire line was established with the mediation of the United Nations, which divided Kashmir into two parts - one under Indian control and the other under Pakistani control.

The United Nations then promised a referendum among the people of Kashmir, which would allow them to decide whether they want to belong to India or Pakistan. That referendum, however, was never held.

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Today, however, Kashmir is divided into three parts controlled by three nuclear powers.

India administers the southern and central parts of the region, known as Jammu and Kashmir, and the mountainous Ladakh region in the east, which includes the strategically important Siachen area.

Pakistan holds the southwestern part called Azad Kashmir, as well as the northern part known as Gilgit-Baltistan.

China, on the other hand, controls the high-altitude Aksai Chin desert in the northeast, which India also claims as part of Ladakh.

The border between the Indian and Pakistani parts of Kashmir is known as the Line of Control (LoC).

Although not internationally recognized as an official border, the LoC today represents the de facto dividing line between the territories administered by India and Pakistan

The line was confirmed after the 1971 war and is based on the Karachi Agreement of 1949, which established a UN-supervised ceasefire.

Strategic importance 

The importance of Kashmir also lies in its water sources, as water from key rivers such as the Indus, which originate in the Indian part of Kashmir, is strategically important for Pakistan's agriculture and drinking water supply.

Although there is an Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, Pakistan fears that if relations deteriorate, India could manipulate the flow of rivers vitally dependent on Kashmir's waters.

For India, Kashmir is primarily a matter of religion and security, as the region is shared by three nuclear powers.

Control over that area gives India geopolitical depth and a defensive advantage in the event of a military conflict, especially in mountainous border areas such as Siachen and Ladakh.

Kashmir, as confirmed by the latest escalation of the conflict, is one of the most dangerous geopolitical points in the world.

The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives over the past three decades, and a final solution is still not in sight.