India and Pakistan have been in conflict over the disputed region of Kashmir since partition in , with part now being administered by Pakistan and part by India. But we are not without hope — as with past crises, it is the courage and resilience of the Kashmiri people that can see this through. Since the declaration was made severe restrictions have been imposed.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been facing daily difficulties including a lack of telephone and internet communications, and reduced access to goods and medical care.
An overwhelming feeling of anger and despair hangs in the air. Perhaps even more worrying than the humanitarian challenges, is the prospect of the conflict over the disputed territory of Kashmir never being resolved. While acknowledging the suffering, we need to find a way out of this situation, and that is to deal with the roots of the problem and involve rather than exclude Kashmiri voices.
Responsibility for this conflict is shared between all relevant parties, but a way out fundamentally starts with the people who are at the centre of it all. We have been working for the past decade, with a network of brave, committed Kashmiris who are striving for a more peaceful future.
The event marked a milestone for the group, which started as an ad hoc coordination mechanism for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief after the Indian Ocean tsunami. The four leaders unveiled a slate of new initiatives on a range of pressing global issues — from climate change and COVID to technology, infrastructure and education — as well as formalized plans to meet annually. Type: Analysis and Commentary. Earlier this year, Russia, China and Pakistan affirmed that the future of Afghanistan should be decided through dialogue and political negotiations.
Bulbul Ahmed does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
An armed conflict in Kashmir has thwarted all attempts to solve it for three quarters of a century. Kashmir, an 85,square-mile valley between the snowcapped Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges, is a contested region between India, Pakistan and China.
Both India and Pakistan lay claim to all of Kashmir, but each administers only part of it. During the British rule of India, Kashmir was a feudal state with its own regional ruler. In , the Kashmiri ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, agreed that his kingdom would join India under certain conditions. Kashmir would retain political and economic sovereignty, while its defense and external affairs would be dealt with by India.
But Pakistan, newly created by the British, laid claim to a majority-Muslim part of Kashmir along its border. India and Pakistan fought the first of three major wars over Kashmir in The line went right through Kashmir. An estimated 20, people died in these three wars.
But the following principles that are involved in the Kashmir dispute shall remain a guiding force in any final settlement. Principle 1: It is the inherent right of the people of the five zones of Jammu and Kashmir to decide their future according to their own will. Principle 2: It is almost impossible to ascertain the will of the people except in a condition free from coercion, intimidation or pressure from any quarter. The history of the last 73 years testifies to the fact that the bilateral talks between India and Pakistan have always been fruitless.
In fact, any attempt to strike a deal between any two parties without the association of the third party will fail to yield a credible settlement. The arrangement between Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah, then prime ministers of India and Jammu and Kashmir, in ; and the pact between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah in sought to bypass Pakistan, leaving the basic issue of Kashmir unsettled.
Likewise, the Tashkent Agreement of between India and Pakistan, the Simla Agreement of and the Lahore Declaration of sought to bypass the people of Kashmir and resulted in failure. So, the time has come that talks must be tripartite as the dispute primarily involves three parties: India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir. But the primary and principal party are the people of Kashmir because it is ultimately their future, the future of the 23 million people of Jammu and Kashmir, that is to be decided.
We want to emphasize that the Kashmiri people are for democracy. They believe that their leadership and the future disposition of the state must be ascertained through a democratic process.
The election process must be organized and monitored by the U. The elected representatives should have the mandate to enter into negotiations with India and Pakistan. Impartial and neutral monitors should supervise the whole election process, including the preparation of voter registration. The constitutional requirement for candidates to take an oath of allegiance to the Indian Constitution has to be waived. These ideas need refinement, but they build on the ineluctable truth that nothing fruitful is possible in Kashmir without the primary participation and willing consent of the Kashmiri people.
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