Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. Between 1972 and 1994 India and
Pakistan held 45 bilateral meetings, of which only one was fully devoted to
Kashmir.
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Towards a Solution?
Over the years many solutions have been proposed for the Kashmir problem.
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These included partition along the Line of Control, 'soft borders' between the
two parts of Kashmir (pending a solution to the entire problem), a region-by-
region plebiscite of Kashmiris, referendum, UN trusteeship, the 'Trieste' and
'Andorra' models (whereby the same territory is shared by two states, or a
nominally sovereign territory in fact is controlled jointly by two states),
revolutionary warfare, depopulation of Muslim Kashmiris and re-population by
Hindus from India, patience, good government, a revival of 'human values', and
doing nothing.
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The dispute has not been resolved because of at least three factors.
First, over the long run, the existence of the Cold War led both Americans and
the Soviets to see this regional dispute not for what it was but as part of the
systemic East-West struggle.
Second, both states have been inflexible over the years. India's strategy has
been to gradually erode Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the
Constitution of India, which grants the state a special status in the Indian Union.
It also pretended that the problem was 'solved' by the Simla Agreement. This
dual strategy of no-change within Kashmir, and no-discussion of it with Pakistan
failed to prepare New Delhi for the events of the late 1980s. India rejected the
political option, it rejected a strategy of accommodating Kashmiri demands, it
excluded Pakistan from its Kashmir policy, and it has stubbornly opposed
outside efforts to mediate the dispute. Yet, New Delhi lacks the resources, the
will or a strategy to deal with the Kashmir problem unilaterally. Pakistan, on the
other hand, has often resorted to force in attempting to wrest Kashmir from
India, further alienating the Kashmiris themselves in 1947-48 and in 1965, and
providing the Indian government with the perfect excuse to avoid negotiations.
Third, it must be said that the Kashmiris, while patently victims, have not been
reluctant to exploit the situation. A significant number of Kashmiris have always
sought independence from India
and
Pakistan. The two states disagree as to
which
should control Kashmir and the mechanism for determining Kashmiri
sentiment, but they are unified in their opposition to an independent state. Thus
the seemingly well-intentioned proposal, heard frequently from Americans and
other outsiders, that Kashmiris be 'consulted' or have a voice in determining
their own fate is threatening to both Islamabad and Delhi.
Like proposals to resolve other complex disputes, such as those in the Middle
East or China-Taiwan and the two Koreas, 'solutions' to the Kashmir problem
must operate at many levels. The examples of the Middle East, South Africa, and
