In one of the most beautiful places on Earth, the conflict in Kashmir – which has been largely forgotten by the world – has raged on since 1947. The cause of today’s violence began when the maharajaab andoned the goal of Kashmiri independence and joined India in exchange for its help fighting an invasion of tribesmen from Pakistan. As a result, Kashmir has since been divided between India-controlled and Pakistan-controlled lands. In the ensuing decades, India and Pakistan have fought two wars and engaged in countless skirmishes over Kashmir, whose people still hope for independence. The situation has only escalated since armed groups began bombing the Indian-controlled Kashmir Valley in 1988, marking the beginning of an armed struggle for self-determination that still rages today. What was once a paradise, Kashmir Valley is now the forgotten epicenter of war, human-rights violations and a true representation of what it looks like to struggle for peace and freedom.