Ans: Genesis and Development of Kashmir Issue:
Kashmir has been a contentious issue between Pakistan and India. When
Pakistan came to existence, 80% of the population of Kashmir were
Muslims. They desired to annex Kashmir with Pakistan but the Dogra Rajah,
Hari Singh, was against Pakistan and Muslims. He made coalition with india
cunningly and permitted Indian forces to enter into Kashmir, He provided an
opportunity to India to take control. The Kashmiri Muslims started jihad and
got 1/2 areas of the valley freed from the Indian forces.
The Kashmir Issue in the Security Council:
When the Indian forces failed to take back the areas occupied by the
Kashmiri freedom fighters, India took this issue to the Security Council and
adopted this stand that Kashmir had already been integrated with India. It
further blamed that Pakistan had attacked Kashmir, which meant Pakistan
had attacked India, Pakistan challenged the accession of Kashmir to India,
and apprised the Security Council about the actual position. It stressed that
the Hindu Raja did not have the right to decide the future of Kashmir, rather
Kashmiris should have this right. The Security Council directed for a
ceasefire in Kashmir through a resolution. The ceasefire came into effect on
1 January 1949.
Decision on Kashmir’s Future
The Security Council accepted Pakistan’s stand and decided that Kashmir’s
future wok ne according to the will of the people of the state. A plebiscite
would be carried out under the supervision of the United Nations. This
resolution of the Security Council was accepted by both Pakistan and India.
The war ended. For stopping the violations of ceasefire, United Nations
appointed its representatives to monitor the ceasefire line.
India’s Delaying Tactics:
When these initial problems were settled, it was expected that the United
Nations would make arrangements for a plebiscite under its supervision in
Kashmir. The United Nations made some efforts for this settlement but India
was not sincere from the beginning. It created hindrances for a free
plebiscite in Kashmir, India expected that the Kashmiri people would surely
vote in favour of Pakistan. It adopted different delaying tactics and deployed a
large number of forces there. While declaring Kashmir as an integral part of
India, it fatly refused to have a plebiscite. The Kashmir issue is still unresolved.