By : Mehboob Makhdoomi
Without wasting time in the embellishment of this article, I would prefer to come on to the point, directly. Kashmir imbroglio may be hard to resolve, because of India's adamance, but it's not hard to ascertain the culprit among the parties involved. In this piece of writing, I have no intention to go through the events from 1947 to 2011, in order to prove my interpretations right. In fact, I would like to present some facts which will leave no room for interpretations. Let's see what was promised to us (Kashmiris), not by the United Nations, not by the International community, not by Pakistan but by the very Greats of the Nation of India.
Without wasting time in the embellishment of this article, I would prefer to come on to the point, directly. Kashmir imbroglio may be hard to resolve, because of India's adamance, but it's not hard to ascertain the culprit among the parties involved. In this piece of writing, I have no intention to go through the events from 1947 to 2011, in order to prove my interpretations right. In fact, I would like to present some facts which will leave no room for interpretations. Let's see what was promised to us (Kashmiris), not by the United Nations, not by the International community, not by Pakistan but by the very Greats of the Nation of India.
Ponder over these historical statements and you will be astonished at India's arrogance towards Kashmir in 2011.
1) “People seem to forget that Kashmir is not a commodity for sale or to be bartered. It has an individual existence and its people must be the final arbiters of their future.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(Report to the All-India Congress Committee, 6 July 1951; The Statesman, New Delhi, 9 July 1951).
2) “We had given our pledge to the people of Kashmir, and subsequently to the United Nations; we stood by it and we stand by it today. Let the people of Kashmir decide.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(Statement in the Indian Parliament, 12 February 1951).
3) “We have taken the issue to the United Nations and given our word of honour for a peaceful solution. As a great nation, we cannot go back on it. We have left the question for final solution to the people of Kashmir and we are determined to abide by their decision.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(Amrita Bazar Patrika, Calcutta, 2 January 1952).
4) “If, after a proper plebiscite, the people of Kashmir said, 'We do not want to be with India', we are committed to accept that. We will accept it though it might pain us. We will not send any army against them. We will accept that, however hurt we might feel about it, we will change the Constitution, if necessary.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(Statement in the Indian Parliament, 26 June 1952).
5) “I want to stress that it is only the people of Kashmir who can decide the future of Kashmir. It is not that we have merely said that to the United Nations and to the people of Kashmir; it is our conviction and one that is borne out by the policy that we have pursued, not only in Kashmir but everywhere. Though these five years have meant a lot of trouble and expense and in spite of all we have done we would willingly leave Kashmir if it was made clear to us that the people of Kashmir wanted us to go. However sad we may feel about leaving. We are not going to stay against the wishes of the people. We are not going to stay against the wishes of the people. We are not going to impose ourselves on them at the point of the bayonet"
“I started with the presumption that it is for the people of Kashmir to decide their own future. We will not compel them. In that sense, the people of Kashmir are sovereign”.
(Statement in Indian Parliament, 7th August, 1952)
6) “The whole dispute about Kashmir is still before the United Nations. We cannot just decide things concerning Kashmir. We cannot pass a bill or issue an order concerning Kashmir or do whatever we want.
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(The Statesman, 1 May 1953)
7) “Leave the decision regarding the future of this State to the people of the State is not merely a promise to your Government but also to the people of Kashmir and to the world.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(In telegram No. 25 dated 31 October 1947 addressed to Prime Minister of Pakistan).
8) “In regard to accession also it has been made clear that this is subject to reference to people of State and their decision.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(In telegram No.413 dated 28 October 1947 addressed to Prime Minister of Pakistan).
9) “We have always right from the beginning accepted the idea of the Kashmir people deciding their fate by referendum or plebiscite………..”
“Ultimately, the final decision of settlement, which must come, has first of all to be made basically by the people of Kashmir…….”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(Statement at Press Conference in London, 16 January 1951, The Statesman, 18 January 1951).
10) “But so far as the Government of India are concerned, every assurance and international commitment in regard to Kashmir stands.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(Statement in the Indian Council of States; 18 May 1954).
11) “The issue in Kashmir is whether violence and naked force should decide the future or the will of the people.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
(Statement in Indian Constituent Assembly; 25 November 1947).
12) “Kashmir should decide question of accession by plebiscite or referendum under international auspices such as those of the United Nations.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
( Letter No. 368-Primin dated 21 November 1947 to Prime Minister of Pakistan).
13) “…….the people of Kashmir would decide the question of accession. It is open to them to accede to either Dominion then.”
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
( In telegram No.255 dated 31 October 1947 addressed to Prime Minister of Pakistan).
14) “First of all, I would like to remind you of the fateful days of 1947 when I came to Srinagar and gave the solemn assurance that the people of India would stand by Kashmir in her struggle. On that assurance, I shook Sheikh Abdullah's hand before the vast multitude that had gathered there. I want to repeat that the Government of India will stand by that pledge, whatever happens. That pledge itself stated that it is for the people of Kashmir to decide their fate without external interference. That assurance also remains and will continue”.
(Address at public meeting in Srinagar, 4th June, 1951)
15) “India is a great country and Kashmir is almost in the heart of Asia. There is an enormous difference not only geographically but in all kinds of facts there. Do you think (in dealing with Kashmir) you are dealing with a part of U.P or Bihar or Gujarat?”
(Statement in Indian Parliament, 26th June, 1952)
16) “As a result of the plebiscite over the entire state, we would be in a position to consider the matter, so that the final decision should cause the least disturbance and should take into consideration geographical, economic and other important factors.
“I should like to make it clear that there is no intention on my part to exclude the UN from this question of Kashmir.
(Letter to Prime Minister of Pakistan, 3rd September, 1953
17) “Our object is to give freedom to the people of Kashmir to decide their future in a peaceful way so as to create no upset, as we said in our joint statement”.
(Letter to Prime Minister of Pakistan, 10th November, 1953)
18) “India will stand by her international commitments on the Kashmir issue and implement them at the appropriate time."
“The repudiation of international commitments would lower India's prestige abroad”.
(Statement reported in The Time of India, 16th May, 1954)
19) “Kashmir is not a thing to be bandied about between India and Pakistan but it has a soul of its own and an individuality of its own. Nothing can be done without the goodwill and consent of the people of Kashmir”.
(Statement in Indian Parliament, 31st March, 1955)
"Until now, you were reading comments of the very first Prime Minister of India. Now, let us analyze what did The Father of their Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, had to say about Kashmir, even though he did not get much time to address this issue. Let us read the statement of the person whose photo can be viewed on the Indian currency notes, which seems to be the only value given to him by his people"
20.“If the people of Kashmir are in favour of opting for Pakistan, no power on earth can stop them from doing so. They should be left free to decide for themselves”.
(Speech at Prayer Meeting, 26th October, 1947. Complete Works of Mahatma Gandhi)
Not to forget, Governor General of India, Lord Mountbatten, in his letter to Maharaja on 27th October 1947, wrote as follows;
21). “The question of the state's accession should be settled by a reference to the people”.
After these pioneers, let's go ahead and see what other political personalities had to say about us;
22) “The people of Kashmir would be free to decide their future by the recognized democratic method of plebiscite or referendum, which in order to ensure complete impartiality may be held under international auspices.”
(Letter from Government of India to UN, 31st December, 1947)
23) “In accepting the accession they [the Government of India] refused to take advantage of the immediate peril in which the State found itself and informed the Ruler that the accession should finally be settled by plebiscite as soon as peace had been restored. They have subsequently made it quite clear that they are agreeable to the plebiscite being conducted if necessary under international auspices."
“On the question of accession, the Government of India has always enunciated the policy that in all cases of dispute the people of the State concerned should make the decision."
“We have no further interest, and we have agreed that a plebiscite in Kashmir might take place under international auspices after peace and order have been established. “We desire only to see peace restored in Kashmir and ensure that the people of Kashmir are left free to decide in an orderly and peaceful manner the future of their state."
Gopalaswami Ayyangar, (Statement at the Security Council, 15th January, 1948)
24) “The question of accession is to be decided finally in a free plebiscite, on this there is no dispute”.
(White Paper on Kashmir issued by Government of India, 1948)
25) My government has always taken the view that resolutions, if they are passed, must be implemented.”
Krishna Menon, (Statement at UN General Assembly, 5th April, 1951)
26) We adhere strictly to our pledge of plebiscite in Kashmir – a pledge made to the people because they believe in democratic government …… We don't regard Kashmir as a commodity to be trafficked in”.
Krishna Menon
(Press statement in London, reported in the Statesman,
New Delhi, 2nd August, 1951)
27) “The Government of India not only reaffirms its acceptance of the principle that the question of the continuing accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India shall be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations, but is anxious that the conditions necessary for such a plebiscite should be created as quickly as possible”.
(Letter from Govt. of India to UN Representative for India and Pakistan, 11th September, 1951)
28)“We do not seek to go behind the UNCIP resolutions, or to ignore the vital elements of principle contained in them. ……We have always adhered to the UNCIP resolutions….. We cannot be a party to the reversal of previous decisions taken by the United Nations Commission with the agreement of the parties.”
Mrs. Vijay Lakshmi Pandit,
(Statement at the Security Council, 8th December, 1952)
29) “I want to say for the purpose of the record that there is nothing that has been said on behalf of the Government of India which in the slightest degree indicates that the Government of India or the Union of India will dishonor any international obligations it has undertaken.”
Krishna Menon (Statement at UN Security Council, 24th January, 1957)
30)“If, as a result of a plebiscite, the people decided that they did not want to stay with India, then our duty at that time would be to adopt those constitutional procedures which would enable us to separate that territory.”
Krishna Menon, (Statement at UN Security Council, 8th February, 1957)
31) “The resolutions of January 17, 1948 and the resolutions of the UNICP, the assurances given, these are all resolutions which carry a greater weight – that is because we have accepted them, we are parties to them, whether we like them or not.”
Krishna Menon, (Statement at UN Security Council, 20th February, 1957)
32) “These documents (UNCIP reports) and declarations and the resolutions of the Security Council are decisions; they are resolutions, there has been some resolving of a question of one character or another, there has been a meeting of minds on this question where we have committed ourselves to it.”
Krishna Menon, (Statement at the Security Council, 9th October, 1957)
33) “India believes that sovereignty rests in the people and should return to them.”
Krishna Menon, (The Statesman, Delhi, 19th January, 1962)
"I reiterate that I won't conclude by trying to feed you with my personal interpretations to beautify my tail piece. In fact, after taking a brief tour of these properly referenced facts,I would like to ask this open-ended question to the people of Kashmir, people of India and the world community that How do you feel when India calls us its integral part and says there is nothing called Kashmir dispute and its final fate was decided with the fake accession of Maharaja in 1947? If I am not wrong, all the above statements have come after India's military occupation in 1947. Does not India stand Naked?"
Mehboob Makhdoomi is the President of 'Kashmir Youth Intellect', a global academic group of young Kashmiris, seeking to raise awareness of the Kashmir dispute. His essay 'Resolution of Kashmir' was awarded first prize by the ICRD (International Centre for Religion and Diplomacy) in 2008. Connect with him on Facebook here http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=697698766
or email him at mehboobmakhdoomi@aol.com
Currently Kashmir Youth Intellect is organizing an essay competition on Kashmir issue. For details, follow this link : http://kashmiryouthintellect.webs.com/essaycontest2011.htm
