Jammu and Kashmir

This article details only the area administered by India. For the full region see Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir (IPA: / /, Kashmiri: جۄم تٕہ کٔشِیر ज्वम त॒ कॅशीर, Urdu:جموں و کشمیر, Hindi:जम्मू और कश्मीर) (often abbreviated as Kashmir), is the northern-most state of Republic of India, lying mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with Himachal Pradesh to the south, Pakistan to the west and People's Republic of China to the north and the east. Jammu is the capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir consists of three divisions: Jammu, the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh. Srinagar is its summer capital, and Jammu its winter capital. Kashmir is known for its pristine natural beauty and rich cuisine. The state is India's only Muslim majority state. Minority religions in the state include Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

Jammu and Kashmir lies at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute between India, Pakistan and the People's Republic of China. India considers the entire state as its sovereign territory, but has control of only half the area. The territory under its control is administered as the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and it enjoys special provisions under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. India's claim to the entire state is disputed by Pakistan, which controls a third of Kashmir. Aksai Chin, an arid region in the east, is claimed by India but administered by China.

Since the 1990s, the state has long been hit by the confrontation between militant separatists and Indian military , which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. The Indian army maintains a significant deployment of troops to maintain control of the state.

History

See Also: History of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir was a princely state with a Muslim majority ruled by a Hindu Maharaja Hari Singh until 1947. In 1947, when the Indian subcontinent achieved independence from United Kingdom, Hari Singh could not decide whether to join India or Pakistan. Soon after the independence, Pathan tribesman from Pakistan's North Western Frontier backed by the Pakistani Army, invaded the state. They had almost reached Srinagar, the capital, when the Indian government sent troops into the princely state after the Raja signed an instrument of accession. Pakistan immediately contested the accession. Ever since, a bitter enmity has developed between India and Pakistan. The two countries have been at war twice over Kashmir (1947-1949, 1965), and clashed there again during the Kargil Conflict of 1999. The region remains one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world.

In 1962, China occupied the north-eastern part of the region which India continues to claim as its part.

Government

The Indian Constitution grants Jammu and Kashmir special autonomous status; however Kashmiri political parties demand greater autonomy and sovereignty. Jammu and Kashmir has a multi party democratic system of governance. Main political parties include the National Conference,the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP). Presently, Indian National Congress and its ally PDP hold the maximum number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir state assembly.

After Mufti Mohammed Sayeed of the PDP completed his third year as Chief Minister, as per the power sharing agreement between the PDP-Congress alliance reached in late 2002, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad replaced Mufti on November 2005.

Geography and climate

The region of Kashmir and Jammu includes dry climates in the southwest, a strip of humid temperate climate through the center of the region, and humid cold climate in the north.

Economy

Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Jammu and Kashmir at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Year	Gross State Domestic Product
1980	11,860
1985	22,560
1990	36,140
1995	80,970
2000	147,500

Jammu and Kashmir's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $8 billion in current prices.

Its economy is mostly dependent on farming and animal husbandry. Though small, the manufacturing and services sector is growing rapidly. In recent years, several consumer goods companies have opened manufacturing units in the region. Before insurgency intensified in 1989, tourism formed an important part of the Kashmiri economy. The tourism economy in the Kashmir Valley was worst hit. However, Jammu and Ladakh continue to remain as popular tourist destinations.The Wood in Kashmir is also used to make quality Cricket bats and as they are popularly known as Kashmir Willow

Only one S&P CNX 500 conglomerate has its corporate office in this troubled state viz. Jammu and Kashmir Bank. It reported a gross income of Rs.18,394 million for 2005.

Culture

Kashmiri lifestyle is essentially, irrespective of the differing religious beliefs, slow paced. Generally peace loving people, the culture has been rich enough to reflect the religious diversity as tribes celebrate festivities that divert them from their otherwise monotonous way of life. Kashmiris are known to enjoy their music in its various local forms and the dress of both sexes are quite colorful.

The Dumhal is a famous dance in Kashmir, performed by men of the Wattal region. The women perform the Rouff, another folk dance. Kashmir has been noted for its fine arts for centuries, including poetry and handicrafts.

The practice of Islam in Kashmir has heavy Sufi influences, which makes it unique from orthodox Sunni and Shiite Islam in the rest of South Asia. Other religions practised in the state include Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

Demographics

Religious groups in Kashmir Valley
Muslims	95%
Hindus, Others	4%
Religious groups in Jammu
Muslims	28%
Hindus	66%
Sikhs, Others	4%
Religious groups in Ladakh
Muslims	44%
Buddhists	50%
Hindus, Others	5%

Jammu and Kashmir contain an approximately 70% Muslim majority. The rest of the population are Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and others. The people of Ladakh are of Indo-Tibetan origin, while the southern area of Jammu includes many communities tracing their ancestry to the nearby Indian states of Haryana and Punjab, as well as the city of Delhi.

In 1941 the Hindus represented 15% of the total Kashmiri population. But in 1990, the bulk of Kashmiri Hindus in the region were forced out due to anti-Hindu insurgency in Kashmir. Only some 5-15,000 Hindus live in the Kashmir valley today out of some 200,000 in 1947 (some scholars and community activists claim the Hindu population in the Valley was higher, with up to 450,000 - for the full historical debate see Alexander Evans's ‘A departure from history: Kashmiri Pandits, 1990-2001’ Contemporary South Asia, Vol 11, 1 2002 p19-37.). According to an estimate by Central Intelligence Agency, most of the 500,000 Kashmiris, internally displaced due to the ongoing violence, are Hindus. ^*. While Jammu is a Hindu majority area, the Kashmir Valley is predominantly Muslim and Ladakh has a Buddhist-majority population. It is this complex demography of the region which has been disrupted by the ongoing Kashmir dispute.

External links

2005 Kashmir earthquake | Kashmir | States and territories of India | Jammu and Kashmir | Divided regions

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