The international community has nervously watched events in Kashmir and its connections to regional political trends. Rrligious pluralism and religious tolerance have ebbed over the past two decades, making Kashmir a major element in a wider set of sectarian divides. For instance, events within
India like the destruction of the Babri Mosque at Ayodhya in 1992 by Hindu extremists (and the deadly riots that fol-lowed) heightened tensions within Kashmir and outraged the international community. Kashmir is a crucial international pilgrimage site for Hindus, including tourists from Europe and North America. Issues surrounding the security of pilgrims and religious sites, such as the Vaishno Devi and Amarnath shrines, act as fodder for those who would link control of Kashmir with Hindu nationalism.
Several Islamist groups have also played a role in the Kashmir conflict. Jihadists have entered the region with varying degrees of support from the Pakistani government. Just as the Pakistani government supported religious militants in Afghanistan to further its own interests, it has pursued a similar strategy in Kashmir. Jihadist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed were a useful tool for the Pakistani government: they effectively challenged Indian control of Kashmir, provoked harsh repressive measures from the Indian military, and allowed the regular Pakistani military to gain distance from frontline hostilities. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001,American officials have pressed Pakistani to reel in the Islamic militants, with limited success. The radical brand of Islamism espoused by these groups is a departure from native Kashmiri Muslim practices, known for their syncretistic blending of Hindu and Buddhist rituals. However, increasing alienation from Hindu India increased the effectiveness of separatist Islamic appeals among native Kashmiri Muslims.
Although the Kashmiri conflict is distinct is distinct both geographically and politically, it is connected to numerous other regional flashpoints. Pakistan fears Indian influence on its border in Kashmiri as well as along its border with a potentially resurgent Afghanistan. India is concerned not just about the traditional Pakistani military bur also Islamist terrorism, as exemplified by the November 2008 Mumbai attacks by Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba, which killed 172 people. Neighbors in the region, particularly Afghanistan Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia, and China, all fear Islamist terrorism directed by militants headquartered in Pakistan. Moreover, the entire international community is concerned by a worst-case scenario in which a spiral of violence in Kashmiri results in a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, since both possess weapons of mass deatruction.