Pakistan declares independence from UK
Formerly under control of the United Kingdom, the South Asian region’s mostly Muslim provinces are divided into East and West Pakistan, and predominantly Hindu areas become modern India. Approximately 10 million Muslims migrate to the newly formed Pakistani state.

First India-Pakistan war over Kashmir starts
Maharaja Hari Singh, the Sikh ruler of Jammu-Kashmir, signs the state over to India on Oct. 26, launching the first India-Pakistan war over the area. Many Pakistanis felt Kashmir, with its majority Muslim population, belonged in their Islamic state, but Indians argued that they had a legal right to the territory.

Currently, India controls two-thirds of Kashmir, Pakistan controls about one-fifth and China has controlled the eastern part since 1963.

U.N. issues resolution on Kashmir
The United Nations issued a resolution granting Pakistan control over the northern, and primarily Muslim, territory, leaving the remaining southern territory to India. Another U.N. resolution called for a direct vote on Kashmiri self-determination in the entire province, but India refused. India deploys troops to the region to protect its borders from armed Pakistani and Kashmiri militias.

U.N. expands mission, creates cease-fire line
In July 1949, the U.N. Security Council enlarges its mission to the Kashmir region and passes another resolution creating a cease-fire line. Shortly thereafter, Pakistan and India sign the Karachi Agreement, which recognizes the cease-fire line monitored by U.N. observers. The Indian government enacts Article 370 to its constitution, granting Jammu-Kashmir special state status and increased autonomy.
Pakistan signs an agreement with the United States saying Washington will come to its aid in time of war after Islamabad agrees to host U.S. military bases; the country’s location was strategic in America’s Cold War with the Soviet Union. This agreement was renewed in 1959.

Second India-Pakistan war over Kashmir begins
Bursts of violence in August 1965 between Pakistanis and Indians ignite the second major war between the bitter neighbors. The regions of Punjab and Kashmir endure the majority of ground battles and air strikes.

U.N. resolution calls for cease-fire
After both India and Pakistan suffer thousands of casualties in battles over Kashmir, the war reaches a stalemate, leading the U.N. Security Council to pass another resolution in September 1965 calling for a cease-fire and the withdrawal of Pakistani and Indian troops from Kashmir.

Pakistan and India sign Tashkent Agreement
Pakistani President Ayub Khan and Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri sign the Tashkent Agreement in the former Soviet state of Uzbekistan. The agreement orders both India and Pakistan to withdraw their troops by February of that year to their pre-war borders.
India and Pakistan battle over East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in their third major war. Pakistan accuses India of supporting Bengali separatists. After sustaining more casualties, Pakistan agrees to a cease-fire with Bengali troops and officially recognizes the sovereignty of Bangladesh.

Pakistan and India sign Simila Pact
Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi sign the Simla Pact to formally end the war over Bangladesh. The pact also reinstates a Kashmiri “line of control” similar to the one created by the 1949 U.N. resolution and the Karachi Agreement. Pakistan, however, lodges several complaints with the United Nations alleging cease-fire violations by Indian troops.

Sources: NewsHour, BBC, CNN