New York (CNN) The year was 1971. The Vietnam War raged, The Doors' frontman Jim Morrison died in Paris, and the cost of a movie ticket in the United States was $1.50. That was also the last time the United Nations Security Council officially listed the tinderbox known as Kashmir as a topic of discussion.

Split between China, India and Pakistan, and claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, the region has become an issue so sensitive that the Security Council steered clear of formally talking about it for nearly half a century. (Though it has been discussed under less official circumstances.)

That changed this month, after India announced it would strip autonomy from the state of Jammu and Kashmir -- its part of the Himalayan region. The move provoked a fierce reaction from Pakistan, as well as demonstrations in support of Kashmir around the world.

For weeks after New Delhi's announcement, Pakistan has called for a Security Council meeting. It finally got it on Friday, thanks to the support of China, a permanent member on the powerful council.

A 90-minute private debate among Security Council members on Kashmir is notable. Asked whether the Council had left the Kashmir issue alone for too long, Russia's deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy, told CNN, "Well I was born in 1971."

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