Why does Pakistan dispute Indias possession of Kashmir?
Islamabad argues that Kashmir should have become part of Pakistan because the majority of its population is Muslim. It says that numerous UN resolutions mean that Kashmiris should be allowed to vote in a plebiscite to decide between membership of India and Pakistan. India counters that under the terms of the Simla Agreement of 1972 both countries agreed to solve the Kashmir dispute through bilateral negotiations, not through international forums such as the UN. New Delhi also says a plebiscite should not be held in Kashmir because elections have demonstrated that people living there want to remain part of India. Are India and Pakistan now on the brink of war? Two of three wars fought by these bitter regional rivals (in 1947-48 and in 1965) were over Kashmir. There is enormous international pressure on both India and Pakistan to hold back from further conflict, with US and EU representatives holding high level meetings in New Delhi and Islamabad to dissuade the two governments from war.
