Much of the rivalry between India and Pakistan revolves around the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which triggered three wars, caused thousands of deaths, disappearances and displacements, and has drained huge amounts of government funds in both countries.
Last month it brought the two countries to the brink of another conflict when terrorists attacked an Indian military position in Uri, prompting a retaliatory “surgical” strike by India inside Pakistan-held Kashmir. A major conflict was averted, only for further warnings to be issued earlier this week when Pakistan accused Indian troops of firing on its soldiers. The drums of war appear to be beating a little louder.
Many wonder why it proves to be so hard for the two countries to find a solution to the Kashmir problem.
The answer lies in history. The story begins at the end of British rule in 1947, when the Indian subcontinent split into mainly Muslim Pakistan and Hindu-majority India, which were left to deal with more than 600 princely states within them. While many princes wanted to be independent, they had to succumb to their people’s protests that turned violent in many provinces. Jammu and Kashmir was one of these princely states.
Its Hindu ruler wanted to stay independent but, faced with an invasion by Muslim tribesmen from Pakistan, Kashmir acceded to India in return for military help.
After the ensuing war, a United Nations-enforced ceasefire line left India holding the east and south and Pakistan the north and west. The UN adopted resolutions calling for a referendum in Kashmir, but none has ever been held. War erupted again in 1965. It was the Simla agreement of 1972 that established the current Line of Control, based on the ceasefire line. However, to this day, it does not constitute a legally recognised international boundary, which is why the dispute seems to rumble along without resolution.
India insists Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of it and that Pakistan is illegally occupying part of the country, while Pakistan says India has no legal or moral right to the territory. It says Kashmiris should be allowed to vote in a referendum on their future. None agrees to it becoming independent. More importantly, the state is a rich source of water and has strategic advantage. This explains why both nations want it so desperately and why it has turned out to be a long running conflict.
As India and Pakistan bicker over Kashmir – with no end in sight – it’s the people who are having to pay a heavy price.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
