The mountainous states of Jamu, which were still a kingdom at that time, quickly became a flash point. Pakistan supported the rebellion there, leading to the first war with India.
Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir sought help from the Indian military in exchange for cede territory, and in January 1949 the war ended in a ceasefire after UN intervention. Since then, details of the control of the two new countries under the agreement have been controversial since.
Pakistan, which still hopes to control the mountainous areas, launched an invasion on the ceasefire line. India's response was to send ground forces to Pakistan-controlled areas.
The battle spread to Kashmir, mobilizing a large number of air and ground forces as well as some of the largest tank battles in history. The conflict was eventually resolved with another unbrokered ceasefire.
Voters known as East Pakistan then sought autonomy from West Pakistan and fought in 1971. The Bangladesh state was born after a nine-month war.
The conflict triggered another wave of displacement, with millions leaving former East Pakistan to India. New Delhi uses the conflict to support guerrillas fighting Pakistani troops. Indian participation opened a new front with Pakistan, which launched an air attack in late 1971. Pakistani troops eventually surrendered in Dhaka, which became the capital of Bangladesh.
As part of the post-war agreement, an existing ceasefire line between India and Pakistan was approved in 1972. The "line of control" is still the fact between the two countries.
In 1974, India became a nuclear power.
Dissatisfaction with Indian rule, an outbreak of armed resistance broke out in Indian-managed Kashmir.
The Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan after a decade of occupation, and Islamic jihadists began to enter Kashmir in the control circle.
Meanwhile, Pakistan became a nuclear power in 1998, supporting Kashmir's anti-Indian uprising, and its troops entered the region. Then, India and Pakistan fought a high-altitude war in and around Kagir City. Both sides suffered hundreds of casualties and thousands fled their homes.