ABSTRACT
The fifty-years story of India and Pakistan since these neighboring states obtained their independence from British colonial rule in 1947 has largely been one of enmity and war. The intensity of emotion with which both sides perpetuate this enduring rivalry is especially tragic given the millennia of shared history and common culture between the peoples of the two states. Although there is much that divides the two neighbors, the final political status of the disputed territory of Kashmir arguably lies at the heart of this enduring rivalry. Both states view the territorial status quo that resulted from the First Kashmir War (1947-48) with great dissatisfaction, and this dissatisfaction is considerably exacerbated by the continuing feelings of bitterness resulting from the 1947 Partition of British India into two separate states. 1
