Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011
THEN
On Sept. 6, 1965, fighting between India and Pakistan over the disputed northern region of Kashmir escalates significantly. Indian troops, in an effort to invade Lahore, Pakistan, cross the boundary line, known as the Line of Control (LOC), which divides the Pakistani and Indian controlled parts of the region. The Indian assault comes during the second of three wars between India and Pakistan over the region. The attack comes in response to Pakistan’s recent military buildup involving processions of American-made tanks toward the Indian controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir, and covert operations. The covert operations include tens of thousands of Pakistani soldiers, dressed as local Kashmiri civilians, crossing the LOC. Pakistan defends Lahore from India with heavy fighting leading to hundreds of Indian casualties. India and Pakistan have engaged in sporadic military conflict over the Kashmir region since the partition that split Pakistan from India in 1947.
NOW
In July, Pakistan and India resumed wide-ranging peace talks stalled since the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, which Delhi blamed on Pakistani-based militants. Military conflict in the Kashmir region has been less frequent since the talks began, however last week, an exchange of fire over the LOC left three Pakistani soldiers and one Indian soldier dead. Both sides blamed the other for starting the shooting; according to Pakistani Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, Pakistani soldiers returned fire in response to an “unprovoked” attack. A spokesman for the Indian army in Kashmir, Col. J. S. Brar, said that the shooting began after Pakistani militants attempted to infiltrate across the LOC. Some experts on the region have said the recent clash is unlikely to derail the renewed peace efforts between the nations.
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