I think whatever strategic value Kashmir had to India is greatly outweighed by its emotional value - much like Pakistan.
For India, Kashmir has been an enormous drain on its resources, both financially & in lives lost. To accept that muslim Kashmiris are somehow distinct from other Indians is to revive the Two Nation Theory that tore the subcontinent apart, and flies in the face of the lived experience of the multitude of diverse peoples who coexist in relative peace in India.
The supposed secret deal that Vajpayee & Musharraf had agreed to was to finalize the Line of Control as the International Border, permanently bifircating Kashmir between the two. I doubt it would have found much support in either country, if the plans had been public.
Comments
I think whatever strategic value Kashmir had to India is greatly outweighed by its emotional value - much like Pakistan.
For India, Kashmir has been an enormous drain on its resources, both financially & in lives lost. To accept that muslim Kashmiris are somehow distinct from other Indians is to revive the Two Nation Theory that tore the subcontinent apart, and flies in the face of the lived experience of the multitude of diverse peoples who coexist in relative peace in India.
The supposed secret deal that Vajpayee & Musharraf had agreed to was to finalize the Line of Control as the International Border, permanently bifircating Kashmir between the two. I doubt it would have found much support in either country, if the plans had been public.