Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Jammu and Kashmir (India)--History; Jammu and Kashmir (India)--Historical geography; India--Jammu and Kashmir; Historical geography; History;
Abstract
The object of this study is to examine Kashmir as a case of a territorial dispute. The first chapter surveys Kashmir's physical geography. The prevailing trend of mountain ranges and river valleys is related to historic movement patterns, which in turn are indicative of social, cultural, and economic links of Kashmir with Pakistan and India, and it is noted that contacts have been greater with Pakistan. In the second chapter Kashmir's cultural patterns are described, and regional religious and linguistic groupings are noted. There has been a continuity in these patterns since the second half of the nineteenth century. In the third chapter the historical development of the conflict is traced. The conflict is as old as the independence of Pakistan and originated on June 3, 1947. It was related to the partition of British India according to religious lines. In the case of Kashmir disagreement led to armed conflict, and the division after 1949 was based on a cease-fire line. India claims Kashmir because the Hindu ruler of Kashmir signed the instrument of accession with India in 1948. This signing was done without representation of the people of the state of Kashmir. To Pakistan, Kashmir is a state of fellow Muslims, as well as being important economically. In the fourth chapter specific factors which are components of the conflict are identified; they are: population composition, economic aspects, water supply, communication, relative location and regional geopolitics, ideology, external relations, and internal relations. In the fifth and concluding chapter the matter of an independent Kashmir as a resolution of the conflict is considered, and then an evaluation is made of five aspects of the conflict in terms of whether they tend to favor a Pakistani or an Indian argument. They are: religion, border, hydrography, accessibility, physiography, and communication. It is concluded that, on balance, if an independent Kashmir is not an option then some kind of affiliation with Pakistan is most advantageous to the Kashmiri people.
Year of Submission
1979
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Geography
First Advisor
Basheer Nijim
Second Advisor
Dhirendra Vajpeyi
Third Advisor
C. Murray Austin
Date Original
1979
Object Description
1 PDF file (151 leaves)
Copyright
©1979 Razia Babar
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Babar, Razia, "The Kashmir Conflict: A Geographical Perspective" (1979). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1991.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1991
Comments
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