The Indo-Pakistani conflict, 1947-1972

H2 History - syllabus 9174, 2027

Why India and Pakistan fought three wars in 25 years, how the combatants, the superpowers and the UN shaped them, and how well diplomacy and peacekeeping managed the conflict.

• Decolonisation and Partition, 1947

  Britain's rushed withdrawal split India along religious lines. Partition left violence, refugees and open disputes that fed later wars.

• Kashmir and the first war, 1947-1949

  Kashmir joined India after a Pakistani-backed invasion, which started the first war. The UN arranged a ceasefire but not the promised vote.

• The 1965 war and the Tashkent Declaration

  Pakistan's attempt to spark a revolt in Kashmir led to a short, inconclusive war. Outside pressure brought a ceasefire, and Soviet mediation restored the old lines.

• The 1971 war and the birth of Bangladesh

  A political crisis inside Pakistan became an inter-state war when India intervened. It ended with Pakistan split and Bangladesh independent.

• How effective was conflict management?

  Diplomacy and peacekeeping stopped each war quickly, but none of them solved the core disputes. The Indus Waters Treaty was the clearest success.

• Weighing causes and actors

  Kashmir combined all the causes: religion and nationalism, territory and security, and water. The combatant states drove the conflict, while outsiders shaped its course.

• Put it together: Judge the peacemakers

  Choose an attempt to manage the conflict and test how well it worked.