In the late 1940s, when the two competing nationalists for India and Pakistan failed to reach an agreement, Britain decided to divide its Indian empire (Wirsing 22). The role of dividing the empire was in the hands of a British representative (the viceroy Lord Mountbatten). It facilitated the creation of a Muslim subcontinent, Pakistan. The state of Pakistan was formed with two flanks (eastern and western) separated by 1500 miles from the new states of India (Wirsing 22). The main objective was to establish a region that was occupied by Muslims in British India. The origins of the Indo-Pakistani conflict over the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir are complex and have their roots in the process of British colonial withdrawal from the subcontinent (Wirsing 22). Kashmir posed a distinct problem (Wirsing 22), and serial conflicts have occurred since it was established. 1947 Indo-Pakistani War; this war occurred without a formal declaration made by either Pakistan or India. The Indian Army and the rebels, supported by elements of the Pakistan Army, fought a series of pitched battles in which each side suffered sufficient casualties (Ganguly and Devin 163). The Indian Army managed to capture some parts of Kashmir during the initial days of the war, but the operation was soon halted due to insufficient supplies of equipment and army training. As soon as the rebels identified the weakness of the Indian Army, they took advantage of the situation. This forced the Indian army into a tactical retreat, but this did not last long before the Indians launched a counter-offensive (Ganguly and Devin 163). In response to this, the Pakistani army was directly involved in the war. The situation in Kashmir was more complex because it had a Muslim majority (about 80%), a border with...... middle of paper ......pments in Indian politics there is an intense hatred between Muslims and Hindu. Policymakers in both countries must find long-term solutions to prevent further loss of life. It is necessary to implement policies that bridge the gap between differences in political, social and religious beliefs. Works Cited Fernandes, Clinton. Hot spot: Asia and Oceania. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2008. Print.Ganguly, Sumit, and Devin T. Hagerty. Frightening Symmetry: The India-Pakistan Crisis in the Shadow of Nuclear Weapons. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 2006. Print.Lyon, Peter. Conflict between India and Pakistan: an encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.Wirsing, Robert. India, Pakistan and the Kashmir dispute: on the regional conflict and its resolution. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994. Print.