Abdul Qahar Bakhshi
Affiliations:
This study evaluates the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and provides analysis of the impact it has on peace in Afghanistan. It further expatiates on why Pakistan and India have been continuously claiming relative ownership of the valley (Kashmir), which in effect has culminated in three dimensions: Making the Kashmir conflict tied to the so-called militancy, future security of Afghanistan and what role India would play considering the trilogy. Furthermore, due to existing barbed relations between India and Pakistan, Afghanistan continues to be a battlefield for these two regional hegemons. In effect, this conflict destabilizes Afghanistan scene and breeds the insurgency in the region to a protracted extent. The deployment these two archrivals in Afghanistan in essence embodies offensive realism. Ergo, if Pakistan sees India’s power growth in Afghanistan as being a threat, it could open up conflict in the Kashmir territory, which to all appearances catalyze escalation in more militancy serving no side good. Against this backdrop, India therefore, cannot be as much of use in building security in Afghanistan until the Kashmir conflict is fully settled.
Keywords:
Immanent impacts of the Kashmir conflict on Afghanistan, future of Afghanistan security, extremist militancy, Pakistan and India claim over Kashmir.