Marathon polo tournament draws huge crowds in Pakistan’s picturesque north

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan agreed to stop firing along their border on Saturday, bringing an end to the escalated tensions between the two arch-rivals after multiple
strikes were launched against military bases.

The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, has been the site of several wars and diplomatic standoffs.

Here is a look at the region, its history, and why it continues to be a source of tension between the two countries:

PARTITION AND ACCESSION 

After partition of the subcontinent in 1947 following independence from British rule, Kashmir was expected to become part of Pakistan, as with other Muslim-majority regions. 

Its Hindu ruler wanted it to stay independent but, faced with an invasion by Muslim tribesmen from Pakistan, acceded to India in October 1947 in return for help against the invaders.

GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHICS 

Kashmir ended up divided among Hindu-majority India, which governs the Kashmir Valley, Jammu and Ladakh; Islamic Pakistan, which controls Azad Kashmir (“Free Kashmir“) and the Northern Areas; and China, which holds the Aksai Chin region. Indian-administered Kashmir has a population of around 7 million, of whom nearly 70 percent are Muslim.

ARTICLE 370 

A provision of the Indian constitution, Article 370, provided for partial autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir. It was drafted in 1947 by the then-prime minister of the state, Sheikh Abdullah, and accepted by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Although intended as temporary, it was included in India’s Constitution in 1949 by the constituent assembly.

WARS AND MILITARY STANDOFFS 

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence, two of them over Kashmir in 1947 and 1965. A third in 1971 led to the creation of Bangladesh. In 1999, they clashed again in the Kargil region in what was described as an undeclared war. A UN-brokered ceasefire line, the Line of Control, now divides the region.

THE INSURGENCY 

Many Muslims in Indian Kashmir have long resented what they see as heavy-handed rule by India. In 1989, that bubbled over into an insurgency by Muslim separatists. India poured troops into the region and tens of thousands of people have been killed.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants, which Islamabad denies, saying it offers only moral and diplomatic support.

REVOKING OF SPECIAL STATUS 

In August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Indian government revoked Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status in a move it said would better integrate the region with the rest of India. The state was reorganized into two federally administered union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Pakistan strongly objected, downgrading diplomatic ties.

RECENT YEARS 

Modi says his 2019 decision brought normality to Kashmir after decades of bloodshed. Violence has tapered off in recent years, according to Indian officials, with fewer large-scale attacks and rising tourist arrivals. Targeted killings of civilians and security forces are still reported, however.

2024 ELECTIONS 

In 2024, Jammu and Kashmir held its first local elections since the 2019 revocation of autonomy. Several newly elected lawmakers urged a partial restoration of Article 370. Key regional parties boycotted or criticized the vote, saying the winners would not get any real political power.

2025

Tensions escalated after an attack on April 22 in the resort town of Pahalgam in Indian Kashmir in which 26 men, mostly Hindus, were killed. India identified two of the three suspected militants as Pakistanis, although Islamabad denied any role.

Among a slew of tit-for-tat reprisals, India suspended the 1960 Indus Water Treaty regulating the sharing of water from the river and its tributaries.

India launched attacks on May 7 on what it said were “terrorist camps” in Pakistan, including in Pakistani Kashmir.

Strikes and counterstrikes against each side’s military installations followed. On Saturday, May 10, after concerted US diplomacy and pressure, the two nations said they had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire.”

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that the nation would mark today, Sunday, as a “Day of Gratitude” to recognize the “befitting response” it had delivered to the Indian military following a shaky ceasefire agreement between Islamabad and New Delhi that took after days of conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors. 

United States President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Washington had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following intense missile and drone exchanges, which began after a gun attack in Pahalgam, a tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, that killed 26 people, in April. 

India blamed Pakistan for the incident despite Islamabad’s rejection of the allegation, and launched retaliatory strikes on what it called “terrorist infrastructure.” It also took other retaliatory actions, including the suspension of a decades-old river water sharing treaty with lower riparian Pakistan.

The ceasefire announcement came after the Pakistan military said early on Saturday it had launched retaliatory strikes against India, accusing it of attacking three bases in Pakistan with missiles. Pakistan’s military said it had targeted multiple bases in India in response, including a missile storage site in India’s north.

“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has announced to observe ‘Youm-e-Tashakkur’ across the country today [Sunday] for giving a befitting response to Indian aggression and the success of ‘Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos,’” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

The state media said the day would be observed to offer gratitude to god, pay tribute to the Pakistani armed forces for their “unmatched bravery” and appreciate the nation’s resilience.

Sharif appealed to the nation, particularly religious scholars, to offer voluntary prayers for the people who had been martyred in the attacks. 

“Shehbaz Sharif expressed the resolve that the sacrifices of the Pakistan Armed Forces will never be forgotten, as the nation stands shoulder to shoulder with them,” Radio Pakistan said. 

SHARIF HOPES TO RESOLVE OUTSTANDING ISSUES

In his address to the nation on Saturday night, the Pakistani prime minister hoped Islamabad’s ceasefire with New Delhi would pave the way for both countries to resolve longstanding issues. 

“We firmly believe that all outstanding issues, including the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir and the distribution of water resources, should be resolved through peaceful dialogue in accordance with the principles of justice,” he said. 

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had announced that the two countries’ military operations chiefs had spoken to each other and agreed that all fighting would stop at 5 p.m. Indian time (1130 GMT) on Saturday, without using the word “ceasefire.” The MO chiefs would next speak on May 12, he added.

Within hours, however, India accused Islamabad of violating the ceasefire by targeting Srinagar city in Kashmir.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Ata Tarar denied the allegation, saying people in his country were celebrating the end of the conflict and the government remained committed to the agreement.

The foreign office of Pakistan also maintained the country remained committed to the “faithful implementation” of the ceasefire.

“Notwithstanding the violations being committed by India in some areas, our forces are handling the situation with responsibility and restraint,” it said in a statement.