UN Resolutions and Pak-India Agreements on Issue of Jammu and Kashmir Issue: A Comparative Study from Kashmiris’ Perspective

Abstract

Besides being the long-pending dispute between Pakistan and India, the Kashmir Issue
has become a humanitarian crisis where 2-5 people are being martyred on a daily basis
by occupying forces. India and Pakistan are engaged in cross-border fire on the Line of
Control. Both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers, and Kashmir has become a
nuclear flashpoint due to its strategic location. The people of Kashmir are fighting for
their right to self-determination through UN resolutions and the promise made by
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. The first Governor-General of
India, Lord Mountbatten, also envisioned in the Instrument of Accession of 1947 that
the accession could only be accepted after obtaining the consent of the people of
Kashmir. There were many disputes that emerged just after the partition of India, such
as the division of assets, arms and ammunition, water, refugees, boundaries, and
Kashmir. These disputes have consistently strained relations between Pakistan and
India. Pakistan has always attempted to resolve these issues through bilateral talks and
international mediation, but to no avail. To address the Kashmir issue, Pakistan and
India have fought numerous wars and signed agreements, but the issue remains
unresolved. Seven decades have passed, yet the people of Kashmir are still fighting for
their right to self-determination. An analysis of the issue from the perspective of
Indian-held Kashmir - how the Kashmiris perceive the UN resolutions, Indo-Pak talks,
and agreements to resolve the Kashmir dispute - has also been conducted.
Furthermore, an assessment of the views of the people of Indian-held Kashmir
regarding India-Pakistan engagement in the context of the issue has been made.