Dissensions and disputes between Hindus and Muslims in British India convinced Great Britain that it had to divide its largest colony. The border was drawn by British lawyer Cyril Radcliffe, who had never visited Asia before. India and the new country of Pakistan became independent on August 14, 1947. After the partition, more serious territorial disputes arose, which also led to three wars. The Line of Control drawn in the Kashmir region, which has been in effect since 1972, still represents the border between India and Pakistan today. India conducted its first nuclear test in 1974, which it called a peaceful nuclear explosion. The threat of nuclear weapons in South Asia arises when Pakistan officially becomes a nuclear power in 1998. Since then, deterrence from the use of nuclear weapons has been present in their relationship. To date, the issue of the threat of nuclear weapons has already arisen in their relationship, with key events that concretely marked their (non)cooperation. These include the 1999 Kargil War, the 2001 terrorist attack on India's Parliament and the subsequent wobble in relations since the near-war of 2001-2002, and not least the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Today, India and Pakistan together possess more than 300 nuclear warheads. Their relations with the international world differ. Unstable relations and the possession of nuclear weapons raise particular concerns for the stability of the wider region.
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