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India-Pakistan conflict analysis

Abstract
The conflict between India and Pakistan is one of the longest running, unresolved issues in
modern South Asian history. It emerged from the partition of British India in 1947, with India
and Pakistan forming two separate countries along religious lines. The conflict was marked by
several large-scale wars, including those in 1947, 1965, 1971, and 1999, as well as many minor
conflicts and border incidents. The main cause of the conflict is the disputed territory of Jammu
and Kashmir, where the two countries compete to claim. Historical, political and ideological
differences between the two countries also lead to conflict. Despite many reconciliation efforts,
the conflict is still unresolved and tensions between India and Pakistan remain. This paper
entitled "India Pakistan Conflict Resolution” is designed to examine the process of conflict
resolution in light of wars and conflicts and its long term consequences.

History of India - Pakistan conflicts

The conflict between India and Pakistan dates back to the partition of British India in 1947. The
partition resulted in the establishment of two separate states, India and Pakistan, divided along
religious lines into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. But the division was
violently broken, and about 10 million people were displaced. Hundreds of thousands died.

India and Pakistan's first major conflict broke out in the disputed territories of Jammu and
Kashmir soon after independence in 1947. The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir initially opted
for independence but eventually joined India, which led to a war between India and Pakistan.
The war ended in 1949 with the establishment of the Line of Control (LOC), which divided the
region between India and Pakistan.
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Since then, India and Pakistan have fought three more major wars, in 1965, 1971, and 1999,
along with several smaller conflicts and border skirmishes. The 1965 war was fought over the
disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, while the 1971 war resulted in the creation of
Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan). The 1999 Kargil conflict was another significant conflict
over the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Apart from the major wars, there have been several other incidents of violence and tension
between India and Pakistan. The most notable of these are the 2001 Indian parliament attack, the
2008 Mumbai attack and the 2016 Uri attack. The attacks caused tension between the two sides
and tensions between the two countries.

The conflict between India and Pakistan has its roots in historical, political and ideological
differences. The two countries disputed claims for the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which
remains a major bone of contention between them. There are also problems with cross-border
violence, water sharing and trade. Despite several concessions, including the 1972 Simla
Agreement and the 1999 Lahore Declaration, the conflict between India and Pakistan is still
unresolved. The conflict between the two countries continues to escalate as they continue to
conduct major military operations along their common borders.

Conflict Management

"Conflict management" mainly refers to a specific task, for example,is treated with someone who
has the skills to resolve them, and finally causes a conflict to go away. Much of the literature on
conflict resolution focuses on the size and shape of the table, persuading the parties to the
conflict to engage in dialogue and listen to each other (for example, colonial rulers in India,
meetings where participants sit together).keep this Requirement, how to take the first step to
break the dead, involve the conflicting parties in the conversation in real time. Many conflict
management guidelines describe management systems and methods that are spread around the
world, as do many conflict management organizations and conflict management organizations.
Conflict management is now domain-specific. Conflict management will require state and
non-state actors to intervene through third parties.
There have always been major and vital challenges for Pakistan and India for
resolving and managing their conflicts. Some of the major challenges both sides
face are:
● Lack of trust

The biggest problem and challenge faced by both parties is the lack of trust between them.
From the beginning, the state was not ready to trust each. After an event, problem, or small
argument, both began to look at each other with suspicion and blame each other. The
Border conflict is mainly due to this phenomenon, because the two sides are always wary of each
other, so most of the negotiations, agreements and agreements between them fail. The
atmosphere during the interview was full of distrust. The signed agreements have been failed and
the talks have ended futile at the verge of signing by both sides.(Kibal, 2005)
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The main example of this is the Tashkent Declaration of 19 January 1966 signed by both sides
after the 1965 war. The main idea of ​the agreement is that the parties do not interfere in each
other's internal affairs. India violated this law in 1971 mainly due to suspicion and mistrust. The
agreement was not signed at the last moment during the meeting held in Agra in 2004. Neither
side is ready for each other, especially when it comes to Kashmir. The Pakistani delegation
wanted to call the killed Kashmiris freedom fighters and India wanted to call them terrorists so
there was no agreement. The same case has happened during the Parliament attack in 2001 and
Mumbai Attacks in 2008 when both sides started to blame each other.Again there was no trust on
each other. (Caranza, 2008)
This lack of trust is the main reason why both sides' solutions fail. Efforts to resolve the issue
have been fruitless, both formally and informally. All the rounds of talks on Kashmir have been
ended in failure because both sides are not ready to believe each other although they have the
UN Resolutions present for the resolution but still not ready to act upon them. (Khan, 2009)

● Border dispute

The mutual border dispute between the two countries is another important problem in
Pakistan-India relations. This issue caused solutions to fail multiple times. After independence,
these neighbors were embroiled in a border dispute in the form of the Kashmir War in 1947. The
issue of border instability started here. , LOC, Siachin issue, Kutch River dispute, water border
etc has been the top of foreign policies of both the countries. All these border conflicts have been
the main reason for Pakistan-India diplomatic efforts and negotiations to fail. The border protests
created cross-border violence, in which both states accused each other of terrorist acts such as the
Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attack, the Balochistan uprising, and the abuse of violence
in the form of the TTP, especially after 2005. All these border conflicts have led to further
distrust between the two sides and the failure of the peace process. The unstable border has
resulted in unstable relations.
The long border has never remained stable for a longer time period which is the reason for
constant hostile relations of Pakistan and India. A stable border and less
border conflicts will definitely assure sustainable and strong relations between
these important South Asian states.

● Lack of economic interdependence

The state is an economy that brings peace and connects the relationship between states. One of
the main conflicts in the administrative dispute between Pakistan and India is the absence of
trade barriers. Freedom of democracy leads to exchange between countries, and financial
interests and investments in areas reduce the threat of war. Due to the very low financial
investment, there is no interest between the two countries and this has proven important to the
conflict resolution efforts between the two countries. The two states repeatedly discussed and
identified the difficulty of non-interference in trade, but in the end failed for several reasons.
Economic freedom will prevent conflict and war between the two countries, and will ensure
good social relations and regional stability and development. Economic freedom ended the
violence of many countries in Europe, but Pakistan and India did not benefit from the model.

Conflict Resolution
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It is generally believed that the following will increase confidence: military to military contact;
direct contacts between intelligence agencies in India and Pakistan; active and not very high
personal contact information of political leaders; visits to protect colleges and universities; using
media to spread the message of reconciliation and shared values rather than allowing skepticism
to hinder it; Use public groups, including farmer organizations and workers, to increase
understanding. Pakistan is raising the water as the main problem and India refuses to leave out of
fear without transparency and accountability. A Judicial Doctrine case was filed by Pakistan
against the perpetrators of 26/11.
Given that water is essential for the livelihood and agricultural needs of both countries, the
development of internal conflicts could affect bilateral relations, be good next year and become a
new priority. Measures can be taken to increase information exchange to improve transparency
of water use and current water use. Public discussion should be better reported and less
controversial. Perhaps open discussions between experts from both countries can help to
understand.
There is greater consensus on economic issues and recognition that today's global economy will
prosper with or without government support. Therefore, the informal trade between India and
Pakistan, that is, the trade from our country, is more than direct bilateral trade. The business
development potential is huge and untapped. This is because two-way relationships use business
as a communication tool. Pakistan has a narrow economic base and there are fears that Indian
products will hurt it. There are similar concerns in India, which has opened its market to China.
The result is a success story in which the economy revives while balancing political differences
such as border issues. Some suggestions for next steps are given. These are:
1. Make a good product list
2. Open more trade borders and increase air connectivity
3. Facilitate the issuance of business visas and connections between business centers and
merchants
4. Review energy networks and pipelines
5. Evaluate pharmaceutical industry development and trade cooperation
6. Pakistan can provide land
access to Bangladesh and ASEAN via the planned Asian highway.

The expanding Indian economy will not be seen as a threat by Pakistan, but it could become an
engine of integration and growth for the South Asian economy and trade, bringing capital and
employment to Pakistan.

Recommendation

● Pakistan and India should establish permanent communication so that it can work even
in times of war.
● Both governments should have confidence building measures between different groups
such as students, entrepreneurs, representatives and academics
● The Cuban Missile Crisis will eventually be established by the first to be led by states
such as the US and the President of the Soviet Union.
● More media is needed, especially through film media, because cooperation can foster
greater understanding between people on both sides of the border
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● Covert channel diplomacy should be done regularly because it will open a window for
dialogue and negotiation.

Conclusion

Pakistan and India never had good relations when they were alone . The two sides remained
hostile for most of their joint history. The wars, border disputes, and attacks by non-state actors
have increased their relationship gap. At the same time, the policies of both sides intervened and
failed to manage the conflict. Dispute resolution and governance mechanisms such as negotiation
and mediation often fail and efforts are futile. The two sides should increase communication and
informal political windows through social, commercial, political and other means. The conflict
resolution of different issues between these states is not only necessary for them but also for the
whole South Asian Region.

Reference

● Javaid ,Umbreen . Sahrai, Naseem (2016) Conflict Management between Pakistan and
India: Challenges and Failures, Research Journal of South Asian Studies Vol. 31, No. 1(
January – June 2016), pp 245 – 256.
● Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (2009, Oct 1) , Conflict Resolution and Peace
Building:India‐Pakistan Dialogue
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