India-Pakistan Conflict
by Dustin
Kashmir
Kashmir is an area located near the Northwest of South Asia. This area is full of minerals and also contains the mouth of the Indus River. Pakistan and India (and China) are fighting over this area because of the money that could potentially be made. That is because the Indus River is a large source of water. If you control the mouth of that river, you control the entire river. That will allow you to tax other countries and other people to use that water.
Nuclear Rivalry
Around 1998, the race of arms between India and Pakistan escalated. Above, is an image of one of the tests done in Baluchistan, Pakistan. The issue only increased the hatred between each other. Both countries were worried to be on the brink of a nuclear crisis. The UN condemned both countries and the US and Japan sanctioned aid by about 21 billion dollars.
The Kargil Conflict
In the year 1999, India had launched several airstrikes against Pakistan's forces that had invaded the portion of Kashmir that India controlled, which happened North of Kargil. More than 30,000 Pakistani's were forced to flee their homes due to this conflict. Eventually, the United States had pressured both sides enough that the conflict had ended. That doesn't mean they had became best friends.
We should not get involved
Reason 1
The US has had it's fair share of meddling in other countries business. If you take Afghanistan for example, after helping the Afghans defeat the Soviets, we indirectly transformed a freedom fighting group into a terrorist organization known as Al-Qaeda. If we were to help and intervene into this conflict directly, we could create another group similar to Al-Qaeda.
Reason 2
The War on Terror has cost the US a grand total of about 1 trillion dollars, which could account for 1/18 of the US' national debt. People estimated the war in Afghanistan would take a month at most. 13 years later and we still have many troops still in Afghanistan. This could happen again with India and Pakistan and cost the US another 1 trillion dollars.
A Timeline of Events
1947
The Partition took place in 1947, that is when India and Pakistan split into 2 separate countries. India is mainly Hindu, and the Muslim minority wanted freedom because they thought Muslims would not get a political say in matters.
October 1947
This is the time period when the war over Kashmir first really began. Pakistani forces invaded Kashmir and sparked conflict with India.
1965
Fighting erupts between Indian and Pakistani border patrols near the Rann of Kutch. Which later than became a larger conflict between the two countries.
1971
A civil war breaks out as East Pakistani's want their freedom and to be their own independent, sovereign country. India was assisting the soon to be Bangladesh which made West Pakistan, or now just Pakistan, dislike India even more.
1989
Even further fighting erupts in Kashmir. Armed resistances forces began to fight against the Indian rule because the Muslims think elections in 1987 were against them.
1998
Races of arms escalated as both countries had gained nuclear weapons. Both countries had nuclear capabilities and were very dangerous.
1999
Another conflict between India and Pakistan begins in Kashmir, as Pakistani forces once again invade Kashmir but are hit by India's air strikes (their first launched in 30 years)
September 2013
India and Pakistan's prime ministers meet in the UN General Assembly and both agree to ending tensions between the two armies.