Why India and Pakistan are fighting
The conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir has lasted for more than 75 years.
The region, covering around 86,000 square miles in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, is claimed by both countries but ruled in parts by India, Pakistan, and China.
The conflict over Kashmir mainly revolves around control of the Muslim-majority region.
India controls the southern and eastern parts, Jammu and Kashmir, while Pakistan controls the northwestern areas, known as Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
China holds a smaller portion in the far north, called Aksai Chin. The Line of Control (LoC) separates Indian- and Pakistani-held Kashmir.
Despite ceasefires and peace talks, the region has experienced repeated violence, militant attacks, and military standoffs. Tens of thousands of people, including civilians and soldiers, have died.
How it all began
The trouble started in 1947, when British rule over India ended, and the subcontinent was split into two countries, India and Pakistan.
Kashmir, then a princely state ruled by a Hindu maharaja but with a Muslim-majority population, initially chose to remain independent.
But when armed militants from Pakistan entered the region, the maharaja turned to India for help with an agreement to make Kashmir part of India.
Pakistan never accepted this move, sparking the first war between the two nations.
By 1949, the United Nations helped broker a ceasefire, and a temporary border, the Line of Control, was drawn. However, the territorial dispute remained unresolved.
Major wars and recurring violence
India and Pakistan fought again over Kashmir in 1965 and later in 1999 in the Kargil conflict.
Starting in 1989, a separatist insurgency grew in Indian-administered Kashmir, with armed groups demanding either independence or union with Pakistan.
India has long accused Pakistan of backing these militants, a charge Pakistan has denied.
Human rights groups say thousands have died in the violence since then. Unmarked graves have been found near the LoC, and both sides have traded accusations of abuses.
Key moments in the conflict
In 2003, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire along the LoC, the first in over a decade.
In 2008, cross-border trade began between the two sides after decades of restrictions.
In 2019, tensions escalated after a deadly bombing killed 40 Indian soldiers. India responded with airstrikes inside Pakistan, and the countries came close to war.
Later that year, India scrapped Article 370 of its Constitution, which gave Jammu and Kashmir special autonomy.
Pakistan strongly opposed the move, calling it illegal and downgrading diplomatic ties with India.
In 2023, China refused to attend a G20 meeting held in Indian-administered Kashmir, calling it a disputed territory.
In April 2025, gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, in a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
India blamed cross-border militants and launched military strikes inside Pakistan. Pakistan said it shot down Indian aircraft in return.
Why are they still fighting?
The Kashmir conflict is not just about land. It involves religion, identity, and deep political mistrust between India and Pakistan, which are two nuclear-armed neighbours. While both sides have held talks and tried to reduce tension, there is still ongoing tensions.
