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History's grip If the ceasefire holds, a battle of narratives will follow
The Guardian Weekly
|May 16, 2025
Just over 26 years ago, thousands of Pakistani soldiers quietly made their way on to high ridges on the Indian side of the de facto border that divides the former princely state of Kashmir. The war that this rash operation triggered lasted much of the summer of 1999.
The war of 1999 was the fourth between Pakistan and India and the third over Kashmir. If, over the decades, technology and regional politics have evolved dramatically, recent days have shown that the animosity generated by the dispute over what is said to be south Asia’s most beautiful region has not. Even if the ceasefire agreed last Saturday has silenced the guns, there is little doubt that they will speak again.
For Pakistan, Kashmir's Muslim majority means the region’s division is not just a historic injustice but an injury to the country’s original founding purpose as a home for the subcontinent's Muslims.
Just after news of the ceasefire, Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s foreign minister, posted on X that “Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region” but stressed it had done so “without compromising on its ... territorial integrity”.
This story is from the May 16, 2025 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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