Expert: Vivek Date: 1/31/2004 Subject: India and the United Nations
Question Why has the UN done very little to assist in the dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir? Does India not want the UN to intervene? I would appreciate any help figuring this out.
Answer Hi Amber,
I must apologise for the delay in responding.
You are correct to infer that India does not desire UN intervention. The reason for this is because there are some old UN resolutions on the status of Kashmir which call for a plebscite there to determine whether Kashmir should join India, Pakistan or be independent. India feels (maybe somewhat rightly) that these resolutions are unfair. This is because the fact of the matter was that at the time of partition of the country in 1947 by the British, people from the Pakistan side had actually attacked Kashmir after Kashmir (which was a kingdom and not directly under British rule) had decided to join with India.
But there is a more important reason. The problem in Kashmir in the last 20 years or so has been one of terrorism and not a territorial dispute. Terrorists have been taking innocent lives by the hundreds and thousands every year and they are being covertly (and sometimes covertly) supported by Pakistan. Till the unfortunate incidents of 9/11, the UN (over which the U.S. has a great influence) refused to even acknowledge this aspect of the problem. Even after 9/11 it is a strange fact that the U.S. seems to condone Pakistan's involvement in this terrorism in Kashmir though the U.S. has banned some of the militant groups which are operating out of Pakistan.
India should probably take a little bit of blame too for not being able to articulate its position better. Indian security forces are also sometimes criticized for their heavy handedness in dealing with the terrorists in Kashmir (though no one is seen accusing Israel or the U.S. for dealing firmly with this problem).
Recently, both sides have again realized that talks and negotiations are the only way to resolve the dispute and are working on this. The Indian side still does not want any foreign involvement.
To get an account of the entire history of Kashmir, pl. check the site:
There could be some inaccuracies in the history as indicated here and the views expressed could be under a single perspective (the author herself has stated that) but the references listed are very useful.
