Contested Kashmir, the breathtaking Himalayan region torn by dispute

A UN resolution said that Kashmiris should decide whether they want to be part of India or Pakistan.

NEW DELHI (AFP) - The vast Himalayan area of Kashmir, at the heart of a bitter struggle between India and Pakistan, is renowned for breathtaking scenery and the cashmere wool that carries its name.

Here is some background:

- Mountain peaks -

Kashmir -- bordered by China, India, Pakistan and Tibet -- is a region around the size of Germany that features majestic mountain peaks, deep valleys and barren plateaus.

About two-thirds of the area is controlled by India, making up the country s northern-most and only Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistan-administered portion includes the Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir areas.

Kashmir is home to K2, the world s second-tallest mountain at more than 8,600 metres high (28,200 feet), which is in the Pakistan side of the Karakoram mountain range.

It is crossed by the Indus River, one of the longest in the world at around 3,000 kilometres (1,860 miles).

- Divided territory -

Kashmir was split at the end of British colonial rule in 1947 when the subcontinent was shared out between Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.

Both countries today claim the territory and have fought two full-blown wars over it.

In July 1949 they agreed to a UN-proposed ceasefire line that became a 740-kilometre de facto frontier called the Line of Control, and which remains today.

A UN resolution adopted in 1948 said that people of Kashmir should decide in a referendum whether they want to be part of India or Pakistan. Such a vote has never taken place.

- Two wars -

The first war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir erupted in October 1947, just months after partition, and ended more than a year later.

The second lasted for several weeks over August and September 1965 and ended inconclusively after a ceasefire brokered by the Soviet Union.

Kashmir also has been the cause of numerous skirmishes between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

For three decades the Indian-administered part has been in the grip of an insurgency that has left tens of thousands dead.

India has some 500,000 troops in its part of Kashmir, making it the most militarised zone in the world.

- Tourists stay away -

Kashmir is famous for its snow-capped mountains, freshwater lakes and breathtaking landscapes, and sometimes referred to as the "Switzerland of the East".

But the instability has thwarted efforts to promote tourism. In India the number of visitors dropped from more than 1.3 million in 2012 to 850,000 in 2018, according to government figures.

On the Indian side, the Himalaya-ringed Dal Lake is known for its brightly hued, ornately carved cedar houseboats bearing names like "New Australia" and "Telaviv".

Its ski slopes, such as Gulmarg and Kongdoori, were long-favoured winter sports destinations but their activity has been severely curtailed by the conflict, both being close to the Line of Control.

- Coveted cashmere -

The Kashmir region has given its name to the soft cashmere wool produced on both sides of the divide that is used to make shawls and scarves that are prized in the West and can fetch high prices.

Among the most expensive is wool from pashmina goats reared by nomads in the Changthang area of Indian Kashmir. Hand-spun into shawls, it is embroidered with typical intricate designs.

However the industry is struggling amid a scarcity in raw materials and an explosion in fakes.

Kashmir willow is widely used in the production of cricket bats, which are exported to the rest of cricket-mad India, while it is also the region s main producer of saffron.