How dangerous is the Kashmir dispute?
It is potentially one of the most dangerous disputes in the world and in the worst-case scenario could trigger a nuclear conflict. In 1998 India and Pakistan both declared themselves to be nuclear powers with a string of nuclear tests. In 2002 there was a huge deployment of troops on both sides of the border as India reacted to an armed attack on the national parliament in Delhi the previous December. Tension between the two countries has rarely been so high. India said the attack was carried out by Pakistani-based militants assisted by the Pakistan government – a charge always denied by Pakistan. For much of the last two decades, separatist militancy and cross-border firing between the Indian and Pakistani armies has left a death toll running into tens of thousands and a population traumatised by fighting and fear. Are there grounds to hope the Kashmir dispute can be resolved? Recent years have seen a big thaw in relations between India and Pakistan. In addition to holding more talks,
