Yes, Kashmir region is still a core issue in India -Pakistan relations but not the only one. Other core issues are the possession of nuclear weapons and the water dispute, just to mention two examples.

I will add to both above mentioned replies. Kashmir is the core issue not only for the territory but Pakistan's agriculture depends upon the three river heads from Kashmir. It is the life line.

Secondly China wants it to be with Pakistan behind the screen due to its Tibet issue. Nothing can move forward if this issue is not resolved, not necessarily as an accession to Pakistan but Kashmir as an independent state but not under the control of India.

Yes it is very much core issue,

Yes, it is. Let two sides of the Kashmir be united and form an independent state. Then all States in the Subcontinent can start to have a united system similar to EU.

It is THE core issue , a peaceful settlement of the dispute which satisfies all stakeholders especially the Kashmir people  can open the door for resolution of other issues. Most other issues are based on mistrust , emotions which can be subdued if this  issue is resolved to everyone s satisfaction. My view is that it is India the powerful side which can initiate trust building in real terms .

The core issue between India and Pakistan is the conflict between their national identities. India, notwithstanding all its faults, continues to define itself and function as a secular polity that is home to myriad religious, linguistic and racial communities, including the second largest Muslim community in the world. Pakistan, on the other hand, was conceived of as a homeland for British Indian Muslims and, despite the Quaid-e-Azam's call for and vision of establishing a secular polity, the country has increasingly fallen prey to atavistic religio-political-military notions. Kashmir merely represents this far more fundamental conflict between these two ideas of nationhood -- India's one-nation theory of a democratic and secular and inclusive polity, on the one hand, and Pakistan's exclusivist two-nation theory, the chief characteristics of which have so far been fragmentation and exclusion, on the other.

Kashmir is the core issue. Kashmir is considered an occupied land by Pakistanis and continued brutality and humiliation of Kashmiri people by Indian Military always creates tension within Pakistan. Without resolving this core issue, I don't see any significance progress in Pak-India bilateral relations which is critical for peace and development in the region.

Not Core Issue. In the World, lot of things are the core. For me, the HUMANITY is the core issue. Here, all over the World, people are crazy about, Money, honey, status, ego, etc. Just remove these stuffs and everything will be fine automatically. Just Cheers.

Cheers ?? A cursory look at current news from Kashmir if not the past history tells how Kashmir is a humanity issue . Its about human rights not territory.

Respected Dr.

There is no doubt that Kashmir is core issue between two arch nuclear rivals; which if not resolved as per the UN Resolutions can influence the entire Indo-Pacific Region as it can be nuclear flash point between two littoral states; influencing energy transporting see lines of communications. Moreover development of China Pakistan Economic Corridor will cause an influence for its early resolution however India should think of the other freedom movements in its North, North East and Punjab.

Nope! Kashmir is not the core issue between India and Pakistan. It is only a virulent manifestation of their competing identities and a contest for power, particularly from Pakistan's end. Or Kashmir is rather a symptom of the deep divide that exists between the two countries. Secondly, the governing institutions of Pakistan and India are different, which makes matters worse between them over Kashmir and many other things. In Pakistan the military is the most potent vector of power, which aggravates the divide between both states. On the other hand, India's governing institutions are basically civilian dominated, which gives them more leeway in regulating and even resolving conflict. Finally, as Krishna Menon observed to Michael Brecher, for Pakistanis its all about restoring the Mughal Empire in the Indian Subcontinent. Its ultimately about power for Pakistan and as long as that quest persists in Pakistan's national narrative/discourse and remains a consequential and indispensable objective for Pakistanis, India as a whole becomes or is the "core" issue and not just Kashmir.  

I do not think we can move towards any conflict resolution if we continue to hold one sided opinions and conveniently play the blame game . It's unproductive, let's put Kashmiri people before India / Pakistan power play. At least since the time of Pres. Musharraf Pak Army is contemplating and negotiating an alternative solution to the problem , the all too familiar demonizing the other remains the main hurdle in the way of a peaceful, just solution to the problem.

The issue of Kashmir is never a core issue and is like any other internal issue of an Indian state and needs to be addressed by current political dispensation headed by Prime Minister Honorable Shri Narendra Modi, who is aware of the problems and will take appropriate decisions, which will satisfy all the stakeholders. Only problem is of cross border terrorism perpetrated by a neighboring country, in order to divert the attention of international community about the uprising against their oppressive rule in their own country in the territories occupied by them. Our Kashmiri brothers and sisters are well aware of it and in spite of extreme provocation by anti national elements, are excelling in the professional fields. The fact that, this year in the prestigious Indian Administrative Service Examination, the all India second rank holder is a Kashmiri boy, is an ample testimony to this.The history and culture of Kashmir is very complex, as the Kashmir region was an important center of Hinduism and later of Buddhism, in the first half of the 1st millennium. Islamization was during the period, when it was ruled by Kashmir Sultanate (1346–1580s), the Mughals (1580s–1750s) and the Afghans (1750s-1819).The Kashmir valley passed from the control of the Durrani Empire of Afghanistan, and four centuries of Muslim rule under the Mughals and the Afghans, surrendered to the conquering armies of the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh of Punjab in1819. Later  the region was ruled by Dogras till Maharaja Hari Singh signed the treaty of accession in 1947. Let the complexity of the very important Indian state be understood in the proper perspective, and let Govt. of India handle it without any external interference.