Jammu and Kashmir, commonly referred to as Kashmir, is situated between 32°-17´ and 36°-58´ North Latitudes and 73°-6´ and 80°-30´ East Longitude, territory in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent . It is bounded by Chinese Turkistan (Sinkiang) in the north and north-east, by Tibet on the east, by Indian Punjab on south, Pakistani Punjab on west and NWF province of Pakistan in north-west, by Afghanistan on the north-west .

The total area of Jammu Kashmir State is about 222,236 sq km (85,806 sq mi). (It is more than the individual areas of 93 independent countries of the world).The area of Jammu and Kashmir State was about 138,200 sq km (53,448 sq mi), before the Sino-Indian war; excluding the area occupied by China(36813 sq. kms of Aksai-Chin which is under Chinese control since 1962) it is now about 101,387 sq km (39,145 sq mi). The area controlled by Pakistan is about 84,100 sq km (32,494 sq mi), of which Azad Kashmir under indirect control of Pakistan comprises about 1,680 sq km (650 sq mi).[or about 11000 sq.kms. And Gilgit-Baltistan under direct control of Pakistan covers about 71,000 sq. kms.]

At present the total population of the state is over 13.5 million (more than the individual populations of as many as 127 independent nations of the world). Of these about 8.5 million live in IHK (1991 census), about 2.5 million in Azad Kashmir(1985 estimate) , about 1million in Gilgit-Baltistan and about 1.5 million in Pakistan, India, Middle East, Europe and USA.

In the southern area of Kashmir, people are Muslims to the west of the city of Jammu, and Hindu and Sikh to the east; Hindi, Punjabi, and Dogri are their main languages. The people of the Vale of Kashmir, who comprise the majority of the population, are predominantly Muslim, and speak Urdu and Kashmiri. The sparsely inhabited northern and western region of Ladakh and beyond is home to Buddhist Mongoloid peoples speaking Balti and Ladakhi. The religious composition of the State's population is 77% Muslim, 20% Hindus and 3% Buddhists, Sikhs and Christians. The populations of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are 100% Muslim.

Kashmir is almost entirely mountainous. The Jammu plain in the extreme south-west is separated by the Lesser Himalaya from the large, fertile Vale of Kashmir, which has long been the economic and demographic heartland of Kashmir. The Vale is formed by the basin of the upper reaches of the River Jhelum, and contains Srėnagar, by far the most populous town (1991, 595,000) of Kashmir. The north and west is dominated by the mountains of the western Himalaya, notably the peaks of the Karakorum Range, including K2 (8,611 m/28,250 ft) the world's second highest mountain (in Pakistani controlled territory) and Nanga Parbat, Two of the four highest peaks in the world. Within this area is the plateau region known as Ladakh, which is cut by the valley of the River Indus.

Kashmir generally possesses a more equable climate than that of southern and central India, and the beautiful Vale of Kashmir is a noted resort region.

Kashmir is the habitat of numerous game animals, including the markhor and ibex (wild goat), stag, and bear and lions.

Kashmir is an ancient country, much fought over because of its strategic location. According to tradition, its name derives from the Khasi, a people who lived in the northern mountains several centuries before the Christian era. The recorded history of Kashmir goes back to about 2000 BC.

For about three quarters of its history, Kashmir has been an independent State though its area has been expanding and shrinking.

The country was originally a stronghold of Hinduism; Buddhism was introduced about 245 BC. Beginning in the mid-14th century AD, Muslim sultans controlled the area for two centuries.

The rule of Lalita Ditya (715-752 AD), a famous Hindu ruler of Kashmir, is considered the Golden period of pre Muslim era Kashmir whereas that of Sultan Zainul Abedin - called Budshah (1420-1470 AD) is known as the Golden Era of the entire Kashmir history.

Akbar, the Mughal emperor of Hindustan, conquered Kashmir between 1586 and 1592, and it became a part of the Mughal empire.

Between 1756 and 1819 it was under Afghan rule.

In the latter year, Kashmir was conquered by Ranjit Singh, the Sikh maharaja of the Punjab.

In 1846 after the defeat of Ranjit Singh against British Army Kashmir was bought by the (Hindu) Dogra of Jammu; the Dogra dynasty continued to rule the region until August 1947, when British India was partitioned into a predominantly Muslim Pakistan and a predominantly Hindu India.

Before Indian partion ther was a movement for democratic peoples rights in Kashmir. Following partition, a section of the Muslim population of Kashmir demanded accession to Pakistan. The reigning maharaja, Sir Hari Singh, a Hindu, resisted the peoples movement as wel as pro-Pakistani movement. A section of population started rebellion against Maharaja and formed an army and declaerd a paralel government. Pakistani tribesmen entered the Kashmir in support of these muslim rebels after which the maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union. India thereupon dispatched troops to Kashmir which resulted in direct war between India and Pakistan and in the ensuing conflict forced the Pakistanis to yield ground.

Through mediation organized by the United Nations, a ceasefire agreement between the two nations was concluded in January 1949. Subsequent UN efforts to secure troop withdrawals and develop a plebiscitary plan satisfactory to both sides were unsuccessful.

Heavy border fighting broke out in 1965 and again in 1971, and led to the "line of control" which has since formed the boundary between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled sections of Kashmir.

China began conducting military manoeuvres in the border areas of eastern Kashmir in the 1950s. Since India's defeat in the Sino-Indian war of October 1962, the north-eastern part of Ladakh, in Jammu and Kashmir state, has been occupied by China. The Chinese authorities have since built a strategic road throughout the disputed territory, connecting Sinkiang with Tibet.

A low level resistense and freedom stuggle was always present in Kashmir and a growing section of people was in favour of an Independent country.

Following the bitterly contested state elections (in IHK) in 1987 unrest in Jammu and Kashmir increased. Unrest further increased after 1988 as Muslim Kashmiri separatists began guerrilla attacks against Indian officials and troops deployed in the state. India responded by increasing its troop deployment in the region and spressing the movement by force. Tensions increased sharply, beginning in early 1990 with violent clashes between Indian troops and proindependence demonstrators.

President's Rule was imposed by the Indian government in Jammu and Kashmir State on July 1990. Clashes between the guerrillas and Indian troops continued throughout the early 1990s.

In 1994 and in the first half of 1995 there was a new upsurge in guerrilla activity, including the kidnapping of foreign tourists, as well as reports of severe measures by Indian troops.

Elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir in May 1996, for the first time since the imposition of direct rule in 1990, in the face of calls by several separatist groups for an electoral boycott.

In 1999 a contained war broke between India and Pakistan in Kargil region after a successfull military operation of gurillas in kashmir. Due to international pressure both countries again did ceasefire.

Jammu Kashmir State is full of natural resources which, if exploited and managed properly in a peaceful atmosphere, can make it far more prosperous than India and Pakistan within a decade or two of its independence. Let us elaborate:

Kashmir is called the "Switzerland of Asia" and "Nature's Show window" for its fascinating natural beauty and climate most pleasant and full of health. This can invite millions of tourists every year. The peaks and mountain ranges attract mountaineers and trekkers. These natural assets can earn billions worth of foreign exchange.

Kashmir is very rich in water resources and can generate electricity on a large scale that is badly needed by its neighbouring.

Fruit, timber, minerals and herbs found in abundance in different parts of the State, can be yet another big source of income.

Thousands of doctors, engineers and other professionals from Indian held Kashmir and about half a million people from Azad Kashmir are working abroad (Middle East, Europe and USA) earning tens of billions in foreign exchange.

The handicrafts of Kashmir, famous the world over, can prove another valuable asset. Watch making industry, already functioning in Srinagar on a small scale, can be developed..

All these potentials put together can surely make Kashmir a very prosperous country ithin a short period of time provided that its affairs are managed by Kashmiris themselves and there is peace in the country and no interference from outside

The State is situated in Northern part of India and is surrounded by Pakistan in the North, Punjab State in the South, Pakistan in the West and Tibet in the East.

State Capital : Srinagar (Summer) Jammu (Winter)
Area of the State : 222 thousand sq. kms

Population (1991 Census) : 77,18,700
Male Population : 40,14,100 Female Population : 37,04,000 Sex Ratio : 923 : 1000

1. Number of Factories in the : 861; Employment-33884 persons; Produ- State ction Rs. 3441 million (264 factories covered through Annual Survey of Industries).

2. Number of SSIs in the State : 32250; Employment - 1,42,000 persons.

3. Name of Industrial Estates : Bari-Brahmnan(Jammu), Gangyal,Kathua, Udhampur in Jammu Division. Zainkoot, Rangreth,Khonmooh, Anantnag,Baramula, Pulwama in Kashmir Division.

4. Name of the Growth Centres : Samta (Jammu) and Gandatal (Kashmir) under development.

a. Potential Locations : Udhampur, Samta, Kathua in Jammu, Srinagar,Anantnag, Kupwara in Kashmir