The incident that killed the most people in India in over 20 years took place on April 22 in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. However, India and Pakistan have long been at odds over the region. The Himalayan area, which they both claim, has seen several conflicts, uprisings, and diplomatic impasses.

At the end of British control in 1947, colonial India was divided into two states: Pakistan, which is predominantly Muslim, and India, which is predominantly Hindu. Kashmir is located between the northeastern part of Pakistan and the northern tip of India. Pakistan has long maintained that as the region is mostly Muslim, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, it should have naturally been part of Pakistan, that’s a remark of Ayesha Siddiqa, a senior fellow in war studies at King’s College in London.

India’s claim to Kashmir, she argued, is also ideological. “The Indian Congress government was secular and their argument was that giving this territory to Pakistan on the basis of religious identity would mean that, you know, that would challenge India’s existence as a secular state, which could have both Muslims and Hindus living together.”

Ladakh, Jammu, and the Kashmir Valley were all part of India and granted some degree of autonomy. Azad Kashmir (also known as “Free Kashmir”) and the Northern Areas are under the administration of Islamic Pakistan.

Moreover, Aksai Chin is governed by China. Three full-fledged wars between India and Pakistan are among the numerous conflicts that have left Kashmir scarred throughout the years. Muslim separatists in Kashmir launched an uprising in 1989 in protest of what they saw to be India’s oppressive rule.

Tens of thousands of people have been slain since India sent soldiers into the area. India has accused Pakistan on several occasions of providing extremists with weapons and training. Pakistan disputes the allegations, stating that it merely provides diplomatic and moral assistance. The Resistance Front, another name for Kashmir Resistance, has taken credit for the attack on April 22.

The administration of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi restructured the state’s administrative regions and removed Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status in 2019. The action, according to officials, would improve regional integration with the rest of the nation. Pakistan vehemently disagreed, devaluing India’s diplomatic relations. However, Indian officials claim that since then, there have been more tourists and fewer large-scale attacks.

Siddiqa voiced alarm at the resurgence of hostilities between the two nuclear states, notwithstanding the ongoing reports of targeted killings of civilians and security forces.

“State control and repression on both sides are what Kashmiris are so sick of. They desire to live in dignity, free from terror, and without both sides being occupied by troops. Crowds went to the streets following the April attack at the well-known tourist destination.”

One expert says:

“We just want to say that terrorism does not have a particular religion, and we, as common Kashmiris, stand for peace and will always stand for peace.” Adding, “This doesn’t represent Kashmir,” “It doesn’t represent us.”