India and Pakistan: A chronology of more than 70 years of conflict

India and Pakistan agreed on Saturday to an "immediate ceasefire," ending their worst confrontation in decades.

The two neighboring and rival nuclear powers have maintained conflictive relations since their painful partition upon independence in 1947, marked by several wars and periods of high tension.

Nearly 60 civilians were killed in both countries in clashes that began after India blamed Pakistan for a shooting attack that killed 26 tourists on April 22 in Indian-administered Kashmir, a charge Islamabad denies.

US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the two sides on Saturday on his Truth Social network, "after a long night of US-mediated talks."

These are the main events that have marked relations between the two countries:

1947: The partition into two states

On August 15, 1947, the Viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten , announces the end of two centuries of British rule on the Indian subcontinent.

The former colony is divided into two states: India (with a Hindu majority) and Pakistan (with a Muslim majority). Nearly 15 million people begin to move, the Muslims to Pakistani territory and the Hindus and Sikhs to Indian territory.

The partition also caused a million deaths in riots and massacres.

At the end of 1947, the first Indo-Pakistani war broke out for control of Kashmir, a region annexed by India.

In 1948, a UN resolution mandated a referendum on self-determination, which remained a dead letter due to Indian refusal.

On January 1, 1949, a ceasefire was reached along a 770-km "Line of Control" dividing Kashmir into two parts: 37% under Pakistani administration (Azad Kashmir) and 63% under Indian control (the State of Jammu and Kashmir).

Despite this agreement, both states continue to claim sovereignty over the entire territory.

1965 and 1971: new wars

Between August and September 1965, the conflict was reignited by the intrusion of Pakistani-backed separatists into Indian Kashmir .

This second Indo-Pakistani war, which caused thousands of deaths on both sides, ended thanks to the mediation of the Soviet Union.

In early 1971, Pakistan sent troops to the eastern part of its territory, East Bengal, to control a separatist movement.

The conflict, with the intervention of the Indian army, ended nine months later with the independence of the territory, now Bangladesh.

1989: Separatist uprising

In late 1989 , insurgents demanding independence or the annexation of Indian-held Kashmir to Pakistan began an armed struggle against the Indian army. Thousands of Hindus fled.

Since then, India has accused Pakistan of funding and training the insurgents, who continue to fight against nearly 500,000 Indian troops deployed in the region.

To date, they have caused tens of thousands of deaths, among military personnel, rebels, and civilians.

1998-99: The Kargil conflict

In 1999, India accused Pakistan of infiltrating Islamist fighters and Pakistani soldiers into Indian-controlled Kashmir to seize control of the Siachen Glacier, more than 5,000 meters above sea level.

The fighting has left more than a thousand dead, mainly in the Kargil region.

On October 1, 2001, an attack outside India's Kashmir regional assembly in Srinagar killed 38 people. India blamed Pakistan.

In 2002, the two rivals appeared to be on the brink of a fourth war, but in April 2003 they resumed diplomatic relations and reached a ceasefire, despite continued guerrilla action.

Attacks and tensions

In 2008, several jihadist attacks killed 166 people in Bombay . India blamed Pakistan and halted the peace process initiated four years earlier.

Dialogue resumed in 2011, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Pakistan in December 2015.

In 2019, India bombed Pakistani territory after an attack that killed 40 of its paramilitaries in Pulwama (Indian Kashmir).

Pakistan retaliates and shoots down an Indian plane.

In August, the ultra-nationalist Hindu government of New Delhi revoked the region's semi-autonomous status, leading to the arrest of thousands of opponents.