How is the Kashmir situation affected by the current war in Afghanistan?
The Kashmir area is adjacent to Afghanistan and the agitation for Kashmir independence is sponsored primarily by fundamentalist Muslims in Pakistan and in Kashmir itself. Much of Al-Queda’s terrorist activity has occurred in Kashmir. Because Pakistan claims all of Kashmir territory, it has covertly supported this activity. Moreover, the U.S. war against the Taliban has been regarded as a “Jihad” or holy war by Muslim fundamentalists and thus has exacerbated this already tense border dispute. The existence of a terrorist network in the region has provided a possible escape path for Al Queda activists in Afghanistan including Bin Laden.
