Kashmir

The legacy of the Kashmir conflict has been affecting the economic and political relations between India and Pakistan ever since their independence. Its territorial, strategic, and legal dimensions are many-layered. Partly, they can be perceived as being rooted in the colonial domination of the British empire, the effects of which did not disappear with decolonization. For the Kashmir citizens a denied referendum on voting for their destiny has remained an open question until today. This entry examines the historical background of what is still the most prominent field of tension between India and Pakistan.