IntroductionIn late 1947, the newly created states of India and Pakistan went to war over the Kashmir Valley. A United Nations-brokered ceasefire divided the state into territories controlled by India and Pakistan and decided that a referendum would be held in which the people of Kashmir could choose to join either the other country. The referendum has not taken place to date. India has granted its part of Kashmir a special status within its constitution, allowing it a large degree of autonomy. However, successive Kashmiri governments were dissolved by the Indian government and elections were held only in the presence of its armed forces. In 1965, Pakistan and India fought a second indecisive war over Kashmir. In the 1980s, resistance in Kashmir itself against the Indian government took on a violent character, with guerrilla attacks on Indian army bases. India responded with heavy military crackdowns, and since then the situation has only gotten worse and worse. More than 34,000 people are estimated to have died in the valley and relations between the two countries have become increasingly acrimonious. India blames Pakistan for the militant uprising, saying Islamabad supports cross-border terrorism. Pakistan responds that it is merely providing diplomatic and moral support, further arguing that India's history of human rights violations in the valley is the cause. Both countries are now in possession of nuclear weapons; With the recent war in Kargil and the increasing number of civilian deaths, refugees and other human rights issues in Kashmir, the conflict appears to be assuming a more serious nature. In this article I will discuss the Kashmir conflict in depth, looking at the problem in the middle of the article......there is poverty. Kashmir is the best place to start, and not just because it is the heart of the India-Pakistan conflict. Our histories, cultures and religions have converged in Kashmir. Our rivers begin there, the mountains meet there and our dreams rest there. » Works Cited “The Hindu: A View from Pakistan: Solve Kashmir Now”. The Hindu. Eqbal Ahmad, November 1996. Web. November 16, 2011. "BBC News | SOUTH ASIA | Demonstration against 'disappearances' in Kashmir" BBC News - Home. March 10, 2000. The web. November 16, 2011. .Kashmir - A way forward. Internet. November 16, 2011. “India's difficult situation in Kashmir | Pakistan Daily.” Pakistan News | Pakistan Daily. August 26, 2009. The web. November 16. 2011. .