Why has the valley of Kashmir, famed for its beauty, become the focus of a dispute with the potential for nuclear conflict? How does the Kashmir separatist movement challenge the integrity of the Indian state and threaten the stability of a region of tremendous strategic importance? As Pakistan and India square up for what may become a major regional conflict, Victoria Schofield's book examines the Kashmir question, from the period when the valley was an independent kingdom to the 2002 flare-up. Located on the borders of China, Central Asia, India and Pakistan, Kashmir has now confirmed its status as a battleground for two of the world's newest nuclear powers, India and Pakistan. Victoria Schofield traces the origins of the state in the 19th century and the controversial sale by the British of the predominately Muslim valley to a Hindu Maharaja. In this book, she explains the serious issues that divide India and Pakistan and assesses the military positions of both states as their troops mass on both sides of the border.