Kashmir – beautiful and dangerous ** Updated

Kashmir has been a highly sensitive and toxic hotspot between India and Pakistan since partition in 1947, brewing up two further wars through the decades, as both claim it as theirs and both control parts of it, along with China which has a chunk. Kashmir is 60% Muslim and locals would prefer to be independent or allied to Pakistan. Indian PM Narendra Modi’s Hindu Nationalist party have argued for year that India should take it over completely and his recent sweeping electoral victory has encouraged him to announce direct rule, scrapping a law that had given it partial autonomy since the 1950s.

35,000 extra Indian troops were deployed to Kashmir last week, regional politicians were placed under house arrest, phone and internet services cut, schools closed and a curfew imposed.

The risk is a headlong escalation of two nuclear powers towards all-out war. Protests broke out across Pakistan yesterday after the Delhi announcement.

Previous conflicts took place under Saturn Pluto aspects (see post February 27 2019) but several Saturn Plutos have passed by without any clashes so it doesn’t necessarily mean war. But both the India and Pakistan charts are severely stressed through the remainder of this year especially mid November to mid December.

The January 2020 Lunar Eclipse at 19 degrees Cancer closely tied into the Saturn Pluto conjunction is highly significant for Kashmir, having the Moon/Sun on the MC/IC axis – so that might flag up continuing trouble and crises in the months following.

Both charts for India and Pakistan on 15/15 August 1947 have a volatile, explosive Mars Uranus conjunction natally and that has moved by Solar Arc to catch the transiting Uranus trine, this year and through 2020 into 2021, so there will be ripples of aggravation from that.

India PM Narendra Modi’s Term chart 30 May 2019 7.04pm Delhi, has an 8^th house Mars which was conjunct the early July Cancer Solar Eclipse putting his administration onto a more aggressive and combative footing. There’s also a stressed 2^nd house Saturn Pluto which suggests financial deprivation and problems; with a highly emotional and grandstanding Moon; as well as deep-rooted anger issues from the Mars. And a very over hopeful streak from Jupiter square Neptune.

The Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s Term chart, 18 August 2018 10.15 am Islamabad, has a high-risk, frustratingly stuck and angry wide Pluto and Mars in Capricorn conjunction straddling the IC, so is sitting on a volcano which may or may not blow. There’s also a divisive, uncooperative Uranus in the 7^th suggesting rifts with neighbours – and that last is being elbowed late this December into February 2020.

It doesn’t look that certain that the two countries will be plunged into war though tensions will remain dangerously high. Another screw-up colonial legacy.

Add On: There are two Kashmir charts – one historical from 16 March 1846 and the other the Accession chart when it was signed over to India of 26 October 1947. Both are showing signs of extreme stress over the next several years.

The 1846 one has the dangerous, trapped tr Pluto trine Mars and square Pluto this year and next with the Solar Arc Venus moving to heighten emotional tensions and anger as it squares the Mars and opposes Saturn Neptune till 2023; picking up the undermining tr Neptune conjunct Sun in 2022/23 as well. The 1947 chart is no better with its stressed Mars Pluto Saturn in Leo moving to conjunct the Scorpio Sun from 2018 right through till 2024 which looks suppressive and destructive.

Narendra Modi, the driving force behind this escalation, will be running into financial problems by 2021 and a dead-halt blockage in 2022 as his Term chart faces a Solar Arc Jupiter square Neptune followed by Solar Arc Saturn conjunct Pluto and square the Term Moon.

The Reserve Bank of India, 1 April 1935, certainly echoes fears of financial problems and is looking jittered and shocked in 2020 with Solar Arc Mars square the Sun and in turmoil, scarily trapped and devastated in 2021 and 2022 with Solar Arc Uranus conjunct Pluto and then Solar Arc Pluto conjunct Mars.

The India chart itself is facing considerable challenges and pressures for change in 2020/21 with tr Pluto square the Solar Arc Midheaven; with a radical change of direction coming in 2021/22 as tr Uranus squares the natal midheaven; followed by considerable turmoil in 2022/23 with Solar Arc MC square Moon and Solar Arc Saturn Pluto square the India Moon and tr Pluto opposition the Moon in 2022/23 as well – so a great deal of unrest amongst the Indian population.

All of which would fit with Modi running into severe problems in two/three/four years.

Pakistan is less affected since they declared independence a day earlier and their Moon is at an earlier degree so won’t get those tricky influences inflaming domestic tensions.