INMUN X: Security Council
by Kelly Keenan, Hons. B. Sc.
Topic #4: Kashmir
The territorial conflict that exists between India and Pakistan has a lengthy history. Ownership of the region known as Jammu and Kashmir has been in dispute since the two nations were granted independence from Great Britain in 1947.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since that time, two of which were direct results of the Kashmir dispute. However, conflict between the two countries has not been limited to these major battles. Tension along the "line of control"+ in Kashmir has been a constant for the last fifty-one years, and skirmishes between the two sides are frequent.
Nuclear tests conducted by both India and Pakistan in the spring of 1998 have exacerbated the situation. Violence has escalated, talks between the two countries have repeatedly failed, and many observers have called upon the international community to intervene. For any international body, an attempt to bring these two stubborn nations to a compromise poses a formidable challenge.
At the time of Pakistan and India's independence, sovereignty over the region of Jammu and Kashmir was left unresolved by Great Britain. As a result, the United Nations called for a plebiscite to be held to allow the Kashmiri people to determine their own future.
Although the majority of Kashmir's population is Muslim, the region was ruled by a Hindu King at the time. He ignored the UN's request, and decided unilaterally to annex the region onto India. Pakistan refused to recognize the treaty of accession, leading to the Indo-Pakistani war of 1949.
The battle ended with the drawing of a cease-fire line of separation. India gained control of two thirds of the region, and Pakistan the remainder. The area under Indian control has a population of approximately eight million people, one third, Hindu. The population of India itself is 82% Hindu, and Kashmir is the country's only Muslim-dominated state. In contrast, both the population of Pakistan and the two million people living in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir are predominantly Muslim. Renewed fighting in the four decades that have passed since the war has produced little change to this boundary.
Violence across the line of control has intensified over the course of the last month, and observers report that it is the worst they have seen in close to a decade. In the week of August 4 -11, over one hundred people were reported killed as a result of the conflict†.
One of the main reasons for this escalation in violence is the tension resulting from nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan in the spring.
India was the first to act, surprising the international community by detonating five nuclear devices in mid-May. Two weeks later Pakistan became the first Islamic nation to test a nuclear weapon, setting off six detonations over the course of two days.
Soon after, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attempted to appease a troubled international community by stating that his country would not share its nuclear technology. This statement was made primarily in response to references that the detonations represented the development of an "Islamic bomb". In addition, both countries have since announced a moratorium on further testing.
Despite these assurances, India and Pakistan were confronted with economic sanctions from nations around the globe. The international community remains troubled that neither country has signed the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban treaty, and that both India and Pakistan continue to develop missiles suited for nuclear warheads*.
Although troops from both Pakistan and India are congregated along the unrecognized border, the fighting is primarily between the latter and half a dozen militant guerilla groups from the Pakistan-controlled area of Kashmir. Pakistan supplies these groups with money and weapons, although the country's government vehemently denies this claim.
The guerilla groups are fighting for the right of Kashmiris to self-determination. Most citizens of Kashmir support either the annexation of the region to Pakistan, or the full independence of Kashmir. Although Pakistan supports a vote by Kashmiris as outlined in the 1949 U.N. resolution, India has repeatedly refused. In addition, India has historically refused to allow third party mediation over the dispute.
The two countries had agreed in June, 1997, to a framework for talks on issues such as missile technology and economic development. However the plans fell through when officials could not come to a decision on whether or not to include a separate working group on Kashmir.
In July, 1998, there was hope for renewed talks and progress towards a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict. At a regional summit held in Sri Lanka, the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan met privately for the first time. In addition, the two countries agreed to a new round of talks aimed at reviving negotiations about the disputed territory. Yet both meetings proved disappointing and little, if any, progress was made toward a resolution of the dispute. The Prime Ministers remained divided and were unable to come to any agreement.
Soon after the summit, Pakistani officials declared that there would be no more talks between senior members of the two governments in the near future. Similarly, the discussions aimed at developing a strategy for future talks broke down soon after they commenced. Pakistani officials declared that they had no basis for resuming dialogue and blamed India for being too inflexible. Pakistan's proposal for increasing the role of UN military observers in Kashmir was flatly refused by Indian officials. In return, India claimed that Pakistan refuses to discuss their relationship on broad terms, and instead remains obsessively focused on the Kashmiri issue. Officials stated that India would not resume discussions regarding Kashmir until Pakistan refrains from supplying the guerillas with weapons and financial support.
In subsequent weeks the situation in Kashmir deteriorated. Hundreds of people have been displaced as a result of the conflict, and killings are increasingly frequent and brutal. Each country accuses the other of firing across the line of control without provocation and of targeting civilians.
Attacks have occurred in remote areas, far from the usual line of fighting. In fact, Indian officials have hinted that troops may be sent across to attack Pakistani positions. Guerilla groups from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir have been accused of terrorizing their victims, beheading them and removing their limbs after killing them. Human rights organizations report that Indian troops have been responsible for raping, torturing, and executing Kashmiri people.
After repeated pressure from the international community, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee offered recently to renew talks with Pakistan. However the offer was conditional on a promise by Pakistan officials to stop aiding guerilla militants. As a result, it is unlikely that negotiations will materialize from the Prime Minister’s offer. However this does reveal that India and Pakistan may be feeling the pressure of international condemnation and may be more flexible in their positions. Although it is unlikely that the Kashmir conflict will be resolved swiftly, the international community must find a way to quell the violence and to encourage negotiations.
Sources:
(go to the world section: there is a reference page for each country and also a link to the CIA world fact book.)www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1997_hrp-report?97hrp-report_toc.html