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The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan
(with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never
satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in
1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between
these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's
marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East
Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian
nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The
dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and
confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002. |
