Abstract
Since the departure of the British from the region in 1947, the Kashmiri population never stopped suffering form the struggle and wars between Pakistan and India. In this conflict, everybody had first their own reason to struggle for Kashmir but the conflict soon became about national pride. The problem is that by being concerned about their own national pride, both India and Pakistan forgot about the fate of 12 million people made of Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists and wishing peace and self-determination. Today, it seems hardly possible to expect that any of these countries will be welcomed as the ruler of the Jammu-Kashmir region after all the turmoil both caused. In this debate paper, we will concentrate on the possibility of an independent Kashmir by arguing first that historically, Kashmir was never meant to be bound to any other country and that India has no legal ground for claiming Kashmir.
