BASIC FACTS OF KASHMIR


 STATUS: *"Kashmir" =  The Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir
* A Disputed territory in international law mainly Indian administered since Independence in 1947.

AREA:

* 85700 sq. miles (Britain 88700 sq. miles)
    - 51% Indian-administered
    - 33% Pakistan-administered
    - 11% Chinese-controlled
    -   5% Free Kashmir (Azad Kashmir)
* Borders India, Pakistan, China and Afghanistan
* Larger than 87 UN Member States POPULATION: * 13.0 Million (Netherlands 15 million)
    - 8.3 million in Indian-administered Kashmir
    - 2.2 million in Azad Kashmir
    - 1.0 million in Pakistan-administered Kashmir
* - 1.5 million refugees in Pakistan
* Larger than 114 UN Members States
* Expatriate community 0.4  million (0.3m in UK) LANGUAGE: * Urdu (Official)
* Kashmiri, with some regional languages
* English widely spoken  RELIGION:    * 80% Muslim, 16% Hindu, 4% Buddhist, Sikh, Christian

 CAPTIALS:

* Srinagar  (pop. 800,000)
* Muzaffaarabad (Azad Kashmir)  ACCESS: * By air to Srinagar via New Delhi
* By road to Azad Kashmir from Islamabad

HISTORICAL DATES OF KASHMIR:

1846 British sell Kashmir to Dogra Ruler

1947 Aug 15 End of British Raj’s. Kashmir becomes independent people’s uprising against autocratic Ruler begins

Oct 24 Kashmiris declare Independent State of AzadbKashmir.

Oct 27 Indian troops sent to Kashmir Mountbatten accepts ‘accession’ as provisional to be "settled by a reference to the peoples as

            soon as law and order restored"

Oct First India-Pakistan war over Kashmir
Nov 2 Indian PM Nehru pledges referendum on future status of Kashmir

1948 Jan 1 India puts Kashmir question to UN Security Council

Apr 21 UNSC Resolution 47 (1948) recommends plebiscite

Aug 13 UNSC endorses joint India/Pakistan wish for plebiscite

1949 India-Pakistan agree cease-fire line (Karachi Agreement) but both refuse withdrawal of troops.

1953 India following demands for referendum, depose Kashmir Government and imprison its Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah

1957 Jan 24 UNSC rejects proposal for integration of Kashmir into Indian Union as conflicting with UN Resolution on plebiscite

1965 Sep 6 Second India-Pakistan war over Kashmir

1966 Jan 10 Tashkent Declaration. Return to 1949 cease- fire line but no resolution of Kashmir dispute

1971 Dec 3 Third India-Pakistan war

1972 Jul 2 Simla Agreement recognizes cease-fire line of 17 December 1971 as line of control (present position)

1986 Governor’s rule, later President’s (direct) rule imposed by New Delhi

1987 President’s rule lifted. Pro-Indian government formed after rigged elections

1990 Jan People’s uprising against Indian domination New Delhi re-imposes direct rule over Kashmir.

1994 New Delhi’s non-representative governor’s rule continues for the 5th year.
 
 

UN INVOLVEMENT WITH KASHMIR:

1948 Indian complaint under Article 35 of UN Charter required Pakistan to desist from interference in Kashmir. Indian case rested on Ruler’s

         Accession; Pakistan contested validity of Accession and claimed problem was popular revolt

1949 UN Resolutions for plebiscite in whole of Jammu, and Kashmir agreed by both India and Pakistan, and by international community

1950 UN mediators failed to break deadlock.

1958 Soviet veto in Security Council on behalf of India prevented.

1988 any progress towards solution to dispute

1990 UN Secretary-General stated that no bilateralacord could supersede UNSC Resolution in international law

1993 UN Secretary- General Boutros Ghali: " I have repeatedly urged both sides [India and Pakistan] to find a peaceful solution to this difficult

         and complex problem"

1994 (September) Ghali offered his good offices to intermediate between India and Pakistan.
 
 

UN MILITARY OBSERVERS GROUP IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN (UNMOGIP):

1949 Monitoring cease-fire in Jammu and Kashmir since 1949, Second oldest UN peacekeeping operation in the world.

1950 BUT limited mandate: can only report violations of cease-fire agreement to UN Secretary-General

38 civilian and military personnel from 8 countries; based in Srinagar and Muzaffarabad since 1949.

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