Part of the country series of articles.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: EXERCISE HEIGHTENED CAUTIONPARSTATE advises travellers to exercise caution in Kashmir, particularly near the Pakistani and Indian border regions where military activity and occasional skirmishing remains a feature of local conditions.
| Republic of Kashmir | |
|---|---|
| Republic | |
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| Capital | Srinagar |
| Languages | Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, Dogri, and many regional languages |
| Population | 10,400,000 |
The Republic of Kashmir is a mountain republic in the western Himalayas, independent since the dissolution of British India. When the Raj collapsed, both Pakistan and the new Indian republic claimed the Dogra-ruled territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The region was subject to armed incursions and sustained skirmishing through the 1940s. By the time conditions stabilised, Kashmir had governed itself long enough to secure a degree of international recognition as an independent state.
Kashmir maintains correct relations with both India and Pakistan and participates in the Non-Aligned Movement. The principal exports are saffron, handicrafts and textiles. Tourism to the Kashmir Valley, centred on Srinagar’s houseboat accommodation on Dal Lake, operates seasonally and has grown since the republic’s political situation stabilised. The Dogra monarchy ceded power to a republic in the 1970s, and the Kashmir National Party that succeeded it has developed a nationwide militia system as a component of territorial defence.