The Hostility Between India And Pakistan: Historical Background

The Republic of India, simply named India, is a country in South Asia. It is one of the oldest and most influential civilizations in the world. It is the second country with the largest population today. In this article, I focused on its relations and role in the international arena. Throughout history, people from all over the world were willing to conquer and immigrate to India. In the early 17th century, Britain came to India as a merchant. Then, began to spread their fortifications and policies all over India. Siraj-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, tried to stop them. In the Battle of Plassey in 1757, he was defeated against. After the war, Britain began to turn into power. For 200 years, Britain not only exploited India economically but also tried to adapt the Indians to foreign rules. In this process, the local people continued many rebellions and well-intentioned campaigns.

‘The Indian Independence Movement’ came to the forefront in the early 20th century. After World War I, Mohandas, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, made a lot of resistance to protest Britain’s oppressive rule. After World War II, Britain’s promised independence was delayed. Gandhi and other nationalist leaders organized a non-violent ‘Exit India’ campaign to help India achieve independence. In response to these campaigns, colonial officials imprisoned Gandhi and hundreds of others. In 1947, the Indian National Congress had to accept the establishment of Pakistan for the end of the struggle for independence and the calm the Muslim Union. On August 15, ‘the Indian Independence Bill’ came into force. Gandhi thought the agreement was a very noble behave. However, this victory initiated a period of religious chaos that resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, including Gandhi.

Following the end of rule, the Republic of India was established for Hindus and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was established for Muslims. The religious division of the principality-ruled regions such as Kashmir, Jammu, and Hyderabad was not made, and their sultans were given the option to join the territory of both states. Especially for the Kashmir, both states claimed rights for Hindus and Muslims living in the region. Since the Muslims living in the Kashmir region were predominant, Pakistan sent troops to the region for annexation. The Kashmir’s Sultan demanded military assistance from India for defense. In return, he agreed to delegate powers such as defense and foreign affairs to India. Pakistan opposed the deal because it believed that the majority in the region was Muslim and should have been under Pakistan’s rule. As a result of these cases, the First Kashmir War emerged between 1947 and 1948. There were many losses and the United Nations had to intervene in the war. A ceasefire was regulated in 1949, January 1, and a ceasefire line, called the Control Line, was created. After this conflict, the majority of the region remained in India. This was one of the reasons why India did not come to a referendum. Pakistan continued to argue that the region belongs to Pakistan.

Conflicts reappeared in early 1965 and Pakistan launched an uprising by sending troops to the territory of Cummu and Kashmir. India also responded by fighting. After weeks of conflicts, both sides lost much blood and suffered heavy losses. Neither state succeeded, and the Second India-Pakistan War (Second Kashmir War) reach an impasse. Moreover, other states intervened in this region. For example, the relations of the United States with Pakistan were positive. It regarded Pakistan as a moderate Muslim state. In addition, after the India-China Conflict in 1962, when India sought help from the Soviet Union, it was broken with the USA. During the war, the USA and the UK supplied weapons to Pakistan and India asked the United Nations to mediate as in the first war. In 1965, September 20, the UN Security Council called for an end to the conflict. On September 21, India accepted the armistice. The armistice was not enough alone and for that the parties accepted the Soviet Union as mediator. Negotiations in Tashkent ended in January 1966. It can be said that in the wars, India survived more than Pakistan because it was better in military terms.

India and Pakistan had unsolvable problems and ongoing disputes. When India and Pakistan separated, the region of Bangladesh was also given to Pakistan because it was a Muslim majority. Pakistan was divided into East and West because there were India’s territories in between them. Although both sides were Muslims, they had very different cultures and Eastern Pakistan thought it was exploited by Western Pakistan. In 1971, nationalist movements increased in East Pakistan and a rebellion emerged. When Western Pakistan sent troops to suppress the revolt, the people of Eastern Pakistan took refuge in India. As a result of this situation, India entered into war with West beside East. The war run off the rails and turned into a border war between India and Pakistan. Finally, Western Pakistan could not resist anymore and surrendered to India. After the surrender of the Pakistan army, the independence of Bangladesh was officially announced.

The hostility between India and Pakistan gradually increased and the tension between them also started nuclear races. In 1974 May 18, India successfully tested its first nuclear weapon, ‘Operation Smiling Buddha’. By May 1998, India and Pakistan conducted many nuclear tests. In fact, one of India’s underground nuclear test was close to the Pakistan border. The international arena condemned these reciprocal conflicts of India and Pakistan and was asked to stop their nuclear weapons from both countries. The international arena condemned these reciprocal conflicts of India and Pakistan and was asked to stop their nuclear weapons from both countries. India has adopted the No First Use (NFU) policy and unless there was a nuclear attack, it agreed not to use its nuclear weapons. India still remains loyal to this doctrine today. A year later, Pakistan forces entered the Indian territory and India launched airstrikes against them. The two states battled again in the Kargil region, nearly 30 years later.

All in all, India, as a country that was very exploited in its time, was also subjected to foreign intervention during times of war. It struggled with many boundary and cultural problems. Besides, it allowed the world to meet Gandhi, the most humanistic person the world has ever seen. There are also many cultures and religions to which it is influenced such as Hinduism and Buddhism.