some gains, six decades of pain THE TIME IS NOW: At this juncture, there is opportunity and the potential to make headway.

August, 1947: Under the Indian Independence Act of 1947, Kashmir could accede to India or Pakistan. As Maharaja Hari Singh vacillated, armed tribesmen from Pakistan made inroads into Kashmir on Oct 27, 1947. The Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession with India, signing over key powers to the Indian government - in return for military aid and a promised referendum

Dec 31, 1948: The two sides call a ceasefire

Apr 21, 1948: India moves the issue in the UN Security Council, which passed Resolution 47 imposing an immediate ceasefire. It said Delhi should retain a minimum military presence and "that the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations". Indian and Pakistani governments agree

Aug 1953: Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdullah arrested; Kashmir erupts and observes a 20-day strike. Many say the Sheikh's arrest marked the beginning of separatism

1963: Pakistan cedes 20% of Kashmir including Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract, also known as the Shaksam Valley, to China

1965: Second India-Pakistan war, following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, designed to infiltrate J&K. The five-week war ends in a UN-mandated ceasefire; subsequently the Tashkent Declaration

1971: Another war results in the Pakistan military's surrender in East Pakistan; both countries agree to settle issues including J&K through peaceful means within the framework of the UN Charter in the subsequent Simla Agreement

1975: After decades of incarceration, the Sheikh abandons self-determination and signs the "Delhi accord" with Indira Gandhi, seeking "a place of honour and dignity in terms of safeguards provided under article 370."

1987: Rigged elections trigger insurgency

1999: Armed fighters from the Pakistan side infiltrate J&K during winter. They occupy vacant mountain peaks of the Kargil range. Conflict between the Indian and Pakistan armies

Apr 2003: PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, often described as the architect of the peace process, visits Srinagar and extends the hand of friendship

Jan 2004: The thaw quickens when Vajpayee and Pakistani ruler Pervez Musharraf meet in Islamabad and announce measures to normalise relations. Later, a Hurriyat delegation meets Vajpayee and deputy prime minister L. K. Advani in the first face-to-face encounter between separatists and leading politicians in government

Feb 2004: The first round of talks between India and Pakistan foreign secretaries and an eight-item agenda, including Kashmir, is agreed upon. Further meetings in the second half of 2004 to set an agenda that included a trans-LoC bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad

Dec 2008: Extraordinary balloting in November-December state elections sees a record 68% turnout.

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