Editing Line of Control (section)

== Background ==
{{main|Kashmir conflict}}
After the [[partition of India]], present-day India and Pakistan contested the princely state of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] – India because of the ruler's accession to the country, and Pakistan by virtue of the state's Muslim-majority population. The [[First Kashmir War]] in 1947 lasted more than a year until a ceasefire was arranged through [[UN mediation of Kashmir|UN mediation]]. Both sides agreed on a [[Karachi Agreement| ceasefire line]].{{sfn|Wirsing| 1998|pp=4–7}}

After another [[1965 Indo-Pakistani War|Kashmir War]] in 1965, and the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] (which saw [[Bangladesh]] become independent), only minor modifications had been effected in the original ceasefire line. In the ensuing [[Simla Agreement]] in 1972, both countries agreed to convert the ceasefire line into a "Line of Control" (LoC) and observe it as a ''de facto'' border that armed action should not violate. The agreement declared that "neither side shall seek to alter it unilaterally, irrespective of mutual differences and legal interpretations".{{sfn|Wirsing|1998|p=13}}<ref name="MEA_site">{{cite web|date=2 July 1972|title=Simla Agreement|url=http://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/5541/Simla+Agreement|url-status=live|work=Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.|publisher=|access-date=27 September 2013|archive-date=17 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117165259/http://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl%2F5541%2FSimla+Agreement}}</ref> The [[United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan]] (UNMOGIP) had the role of investigating ceasefire violations (CFVs), however their role decreased after 1971.{{sfnp|Jacob, The Line of Control|2018|loc=110–111}} In 2000, US President [[Bill Clinton]] referred to the Indian subcontinent and the Kashmir Line of Control, in particular, as one of the most dangerous places in the world.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Marcus|first=Jonathan|date=23 March 2000|title=Analysis: The world's most dangerous place?|newspaper=[[BBC News]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/687021.stm|access-date=25 August 2021|archive-date=16 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916030451/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/687021.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Krishnaswami|first=Sridhar|date=11 March 2000|title='Most dangerous place'|language=en-IN|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/most-dangerous-place/article28005434.ece|url-access=subscription|access-date=25 August 2021|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=25 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825134326/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/most-dangerous-place/article28005434.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>