Kashmir at the Crossroads: Revisiting the 1947 Conflict

During the intense discussions in both houses of Parliament regarding Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, the topic of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir was brought up, reaffirming India's determination to reclaim this region. Although Pakistan seized this area in 1948, it is technically still part of the Indian Union. In 1949, India demonstrated at the United Nations that Pakistan's role in Kashmir is that of an aggressor. The way Pakistan had sent its armed tribesmen to attack Kashmir at the time of the merger of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Indian Union on 26 October 1947, its truth was also revealed in the United Nations in 1949 because Pakistan had accepted that its army had also fought the Indian army on the Kashmir front. But in December 1947 itself, India's first Prime Minister Late Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru had gone to the United Nations with this issue, due to which the Kashmir problem was internationalized.

After this, the UN Security Council intervened in 1948 and a ceasefire was declared between the two countries on 30 December 1948, but by then one-third of Kashmir had been captured by Pakistan. After this, in January 1949, the UN passed a resolution to hold a plebiscite in the entire Jammu and Kashmir under the supervision of a commission appointed by it. It was Pt. Nehru who had initially proposed to hold a plebiscite. On 7 January 1949, the commission also published the conditions for holding the plebiscite. At that time, National Conference leader Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was the Chief Minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan had put a condition that before the plebiscite, Sheikh Abdullah's government should be removed from office and the Indian army stationed in the state should also be removed. But India refused to accept both these conditions. The original proposal had a condition that Pakistan would withdraw its forces from occupied Kashmir and India would have the right to keep the necessary government staff and army to hold elections or plebiscite. It was printed in the newspapers of that time on 8 January 1949 that "The United Nations Commission has published the conditions of the referendum on the basis of which it will be decided whether the state of Jammu and Kashmir will join India or Pakistan.

It is clear from the conditions of the Commission that the referendum will be completely impartial and independent. When Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru initially proposed the referendum, he did not use any mental hesitation or concealment." There was also a condition in the proposal of the Commission that the referendum administrator will be nominated by the United Nations itself, but the Sheikh Abdullah government of Jammu and Kashmir will announce his appointment and the state government will also give him the necessary authority for the referendum. The referendum administrator will be such a person who will have a high reputation in the international world and on whom everyone will have faith. The Indian Army will also remain in the state. Where and in what numbers it will be kept will be decided keeping in mind the security of the state and the freedom of the referendum.

Pakistan wanted that its army should also remain in Jammu and Kashmir and their help should also be taken in maintaining peace. This was outright rejected. If we analyse this sequence of events today, we will find that the area of Jammu and Kashmir which Pakistan has usurped is 100% a part of India and is a screaming proof of its merger with the Indian Union on 26 October 1947. Another question of today is how India should integrate this area into the Indian Union. In this regard, the abolition of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August 2019 is the most important step. This article was added to the Constitution only in the context of Jammu and Kashmir and this work was done in the Constituent Assembly itself. It was originally kept temporary. The steps of previous governments used to falter due to its abolition because the regional parties of this state used to directly confront the Center on this issue and used to start giving threats. Along with this, separatist forces used to become active separately. But the present Home Minister of the Modi Government, Mr. Amit Shah, did this historic work by dismissing all kinds of apprehensions and kept the merger of Kashmir at par with other states. After this, qualitative changes started coming in the conditions of the state. Due to which the number of tourists in the state kept increasing year after year. During the debate in Parliament on Operation Sindoor, the issue of occupied Kashmir came up and the Home Minister strongly declared that one day it will be merged with India. The Home Minister even said that the Congress governments gave it to Pakistan but the BJP government will bring it back. Actually, this is a matter of determination because it is a reflection of the strong will power of the government. But this task is not so easy because Pakistan has nurtured its armies till now only to keep the Kashmir issue alive. That is why it is said that Pakistan is the only country in the whole world which does not have an army but has an army which has its own country. This statement has a very deep meaning which declares Pakistan as an illegitimate country.

In the last 76 years, Pakistan has completely changed the geography of the people of enslaved Kashmir. The number of Kashmiri speakers in enslaved Kashmir is decreasing. The human rights of the Kashmiri people are being crushed at every step. Therefore, the statement of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is not useless that a day will come when the people of enslaved Kashmir will themselves raise the desire to join India. Actually, in the last 77 years, there have been many such occasions when the Kashmir problem almost got resolved. One such occasion had come during the government of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Before this, such an opportunity had come during the Nehru government in 1964 as well. In 1964, Pandit Nehru had released Sheikh Abdullah from house arrest and sent him to Pakistan. At that time, there was military rule of General Ayub in Pakistan. General Ayub had welcomed Sheikh Abdullah with great enthusiasm. But when Sheikh Abdullah returned to India, he was also called 'Nehru's henchman'.

Despite this, Sheikh Abdullah advised General Ayub to visit India and General Ayub agreed to this. On 27 May 1964, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru passed away. On this day, Sheikh Abdullah was addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarabad in occupied Kashmir and saying that the Kashmir problem would be solved soon, but then he was informed in the middle of the meeting that Pandit Nehru had passed away. Hence, no one could know what that plan was. But now the people of India expect from the Modi government that occupied Kashmir will be made a part of India soon.