ABSTRACT
A United Nations-brokered ceasefire in January 1949 divided Jammu and Kashmir into Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistani-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir, effectively freezing the conflict until the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, which resulted in a stalemate. The initially indigenous movement was led by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, but it was gradually supplanted by pro-Pakistani factions such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and absorbed greater numbers of foreign fighters into the insurgency. Talks between India and Pakistan between 1997 and 2008 reduced violence levels within Indian-administered Kashmir and along the Line of Control separating the Indian and Pakistani regions, but they did not achieve a breakthrough on core political issues. At the international level, India has sought to cultivate an image of stability to boost Kashmir's attractiveness for tourism and external investment, as well as to bolster the legitimacy of the BJP administration's actions in the region since 2019.
