On Tuesday 19 Aug 2008 9:16:43 pm Biju Chacko wrote: > In other words, the official Indian stance is that the wishes of the > Kashmiri people are irrelevant?
You will have to Google for the official Indian stance. I found this on wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_dispute > India holds that, > For the UN Resolution mandating a plebiscite to be valid, Pakistan should > first vacate its part of Kashmir. The Constituent Assembly of Jammu and > Kashmir had unanimously ratified the Maharaja's instrument of Accession to > India and had adopted a constitution for the state that called for a > perpetual merger of the state with the Indian Union. India claims that this > body was a representative one, and that its views were those of the > Kashmiri people at the time. India does not accept the Two Nation Theory > that forms the basis of Pakistan. India asserts that Kashmir being a > religiously diverse region with a large number of Hindus and Buddhists, the > region under a non secular Islamic Nation Pakistan is against the secular > credentials of Kashmir. India points at the religious cleansing of the > minorities in Pakistan after the independence. The state of Jammu and > Kashmir was made autonomous by the Article 370 of the Constitution of > India, though this autonomy has since been reduced India also points to an > opinion poll held in Jammu and Kashmir that most of the Muslims living in > the Kashmir valley do not want Kashmir to be a part of Pakistan.[18] India > alleges that most of the terrorists operating in Kashmir are themselves > from Pakistan-administered Kashmir and that Pakistan has been involved in > state sponsored terrorism.[19] India states that despite Pakistan being > named as an "Islamic Republic", it had allegedly being responsible for one > of the worst genocide of Muslims when it allegedly killed millions of its > own countrymen in East Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. India > also points to articles and US reports[20] which suggest that the > terrorists are funded mostly by Pakistan as well as through criminal means > like from the illegal sale of arms and narcotics as well as through > circulating counterfeit currency in India. The Pakistani view > Pakistani view > Pakistan's claims to the disputed region are based on the rejection of > Indian claims to Kashmir, namely the Instrument of Accession. Pakistan > insists that the Maharaja was not a popular leader, and was regarded as a > tyrant by most Kashmiris. Pakistan also accuses India of hypocrisy, as it > refused to recognize the accession of Junagadh to Pakistan and Hyderabad's > independence, on the grounds that those two states had Hindu majorities (in > fact, India occupied and forcibly integrated those two territories). > Furthermore, as he had fled Kashmir due to Pakistani invasion, Pakistan > asserts that the Maharaja held no authority in determining Kashmir's > future. Additionally, Pakistan argues that even if the Maharaja had any > authority in determining the plight of Kashmir, he signed the Instrument of > Accession under duress, thus invalidating the legitimacy of his actions. > Pakistan also claims that Indian forces were in Kashmir before the > Instrument of Accession was signed with India, thus, Indian troops were in > Kashmir in violation of the Standstill Agreement, which was designed to > maintain the status quo in Kashmir (although India was not signatory to the > Agreement, signed between Pakistan and the Hindu ruler of Jammu and > Kashmir). [21][22]. From 1990 to 1999 some organizations report that Indian > Armed Forces, its paramilitary groups, and counter-insurgent militias have > been responsible for the deaths 4,501 of Kashmiri civilians. Also from 1990 > to 1999, there have are records of 4,242 women between the ages of 7-70 > that have been raped.[23][24]. Similar allegations were also made by some > human rights organizations.[25] In short, Pakistan holds that > The popular Kashmiri insurgency demonstrates that the Kashmiri people no > longer wish to remain within India. Pakistan suggests that this means that > either Kashmir wants to be with Pakistan or independent. Indian > counterinsurgency tactics merit international monitoring of the Kashmir > conflict, and the Indian Army has carried out human rights violations - > including torture, rape and extrajudicial killings - against the Kashmiri > people. According to the two-nation theory by which Pakistan was formed, > Kashmir should have been with Pakistan, because it has a Muslim majority. > The "K" in Pakistan stands for Kashmir. India has shown disregard to the > resolutions of the UN (by not holding a plebiscite). The Kashmiri people > have now been forced by the circumstances to rise against the alleged > repression of the Indian army and uphold their right of self-determination > through militancy. Pakistan claims to give the Kashmiri insurgents moral, > ethical and military support (see 1999 Kargil Conflict).
