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Jammu & Kashmir, commonly known as Kashmir, the territory is bounded on the north by Afghanistan and China, on the east by China, on the south by the state of Himachal Pradesh and the state of Punjab in India, and on the west by the North-West Frontier Province and the Punjab Province of Pakistan. Kashmir covers an area of 222,236 sq km (85,805 sq mi).
Jammu and Kashmir are really three regions: the foothill plains of Jammu; the lakes and blue valleys of Kashmir rising to alpine passes, the high altitude plains and starkly beautiful mountains of Ladakh which lies beyond those passes. The Indus River flows through Kashmir, and the Jhelum River rises in the northeastern portion of the territory. Kashmir possesses a more equable climate than that of southern and central India, and the beautiful Vale of Kashmir is a noted resort region. Srinagar is Kashmir's summer capital and Jammu, the winter capital.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir which had earlier been under Hindu rulers and Muslim Sultans, became part of the Mughal Empire under Akbar. After a period of Afghan rule from 1756, it was annexed to the to the Sikh kingdom of the Punjab in 1819. In 1846 Ranjit Singh made over the territory of Jammu to Maharaja Gulab Singh. After the decisive battle of Sabroon in 1846, Kashmir also was made over to Maharaja Gulab Singh under the Treaty of Amritsar. British supremacy was recognized until the Indian Independence Act 1947.
When all the states decided on accession to India or Pakistan, Kashmir asked for standstill agreements with both. In the meantime the state became the subject of an armed attack from Pakistan and Maharaja acceded to India on 26th October, 1947 by signing the instruments of accession. India approached then UN in January 1949. Another round of war between the two countries in 1965 was followed by the Tashkent Declaration in January 1966.
Following the liberation movement in the former eastern wing of Pakistan, Pakistan attacked India in December, 1971. It was followed by the Shimla Agreement in July, 1972. A new line of control was delineated bilaterally to replace the ceasefire line between the two countries in Jammu and Kashmir. Kasmir has been in the centre of contention between India and Pakistan ever since. Separatist movements have torn the peaceful fabric of the state for over a decade.
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