ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the problem of Kashmir with other conflicts arising from pre- and post-Second World War partitions that have occurred in former British territories and mandates. The Indian claim to Kashmir is based on the secular character of the Indian state and its resistance to the "principle" of partition that proposed separate Hindu and Muslim states. The chapter examines the underlying ideologies and beliefs of the two main rival pre-independence parties, the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League, and their successor governments in India and Pakistan. It describes the conflicting perspectives regarding the basis of partition, and the legal, moral and political claims of the contemporary adversaries. The chapter also examines the problem through the prism of the traditional international political debate between what is desirable and what is feasible given the relative military capabilities in the region.
