Pakistan Army: News Notes 7.12.16; Indian Express

Pakistan Army chief takes charge. (photo credit: @AsimBajwaISPR)

General Qamar Javed Bajwa superseded four Lt Gens. He is the third successive Punjabi army chief. He is from Jat community from Ghakhar Mandi in Pakistani Punjab.

Punjabis constitute 56 per cent population of Pakistan.

In 1939, Punjabi Muslims formed 29 per cent of British Indian soldiers. They were preferred after 1857 revolt as they were considered more loyal than the recruits from traditional grounds in UP and Bihar.

Punjabis dominate Pakistani army. Pathans are the second most dominant ethnic group. Urdu speaking mohajirs have had larger share in Pakistani Army than their share in population.

First Punjabi army chief of Pakistan was General Tikka Khan, who assumed office in 1972- 25 years after its creation.

Seven Punjabis have occupied the office of Pakistan Army chief including Bajwa. Bajwa is the third successive army chief since 2007. Till then four out of 13 army chiefs were Punjabis.

Before Bajwa, 28 of 69 years of its existence have seen a Punjabi army chief.
There have been 16 army chiefs in Pakistan. Of the four military dictators, one was Punjabi- General Zia-ul-Haq.

General Zia ul Haq we born in Jalandhar and studied at St Stephen's College, Delhi. He ruled for 11 years.

General Parvez Musharraf was a Urdu speaking mohajir, who was born in Delhi. He ruled for nine years.

Two other military dictators of Pakistan were Pathans, who constitute 16% of Pakistani population.

There have been four Pathan army chiefs heading the army for 16 years. Field Marshall Ayub Khan and Punjab born General Yahya Khan were Pathans. The two ruled Pakistan for 14 years.

Gen Bajwa takes over from Gen Sharif. Photo credit: @AsimBajwaISPR)

Out of proportion share of Pathans has offset separatism in NWFP or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where sense of alienation was very strong and it predated the 1971 separation of East Bengal.

About three crore Pathans live in the area separated by the Durand Line from the Afhan Pathans, who including the Taliban don’t recognise it as a boundary line.

In total about four crore Pathans line on the two sides of Durand Line.

Pathans General Ayub Khan's appointment as army chief in 1951 coincided with the rise of separatism in NWFP. Seven years later, Ayub Khan led the first military coup. Ayub Khan remained Pakistan's ruler for next 11 years till 1969, when Indira Gandhi was gaining ground in democratic India.

During Ayub Khan's regime, Pathans got closer to Pakistani ruling machinery and held greater stake in the army instilling among them the sense of belongingness towards their country.

But, mohajirs' dominance in bureaucracy prompted imposition of Urdu as the sole unifying language that complicated the matters in East Bengal- ultimately destroying the two-nation theory.

Urdu speaking migrants comprise only six per cent of Pakistan’s population.
 Two Urdu speaking generals became Pakistan Army chiefs- Azamgarh-born General Mirza Aslam Beg and Parvez Musharraf. As army chiefs, they jointly commanded for 12 years.

The two mohajir generals aggravated Kashmir problem. Beg engineered Kashmir insurgency in late 1980s- 1989 is taken as a cut off date in general sense.

Musharraf planned 1999-Kargil war- a limited war with the aim to draw international attention and thereby internationalise Kashmir taking it beyond the Indian thesis of bilateralism.

No Sindhi or Baloch has headed Pakistan Army. General Muhammad Musa came from Baluchistan but he was not a Baloch but belonged to small Hazara community. He led the army for eight years.

Only 15 per cent soldiers of Pakistan Army belong to Sindh and Baluchistan. Baloch comprise three per cent of Pakistan's army.

Sindhis are the second most populous ethnic group in Pakistan. They are 17 per cent of total population.

Sindhis and Balochs are considered as non-martial ethnic groups. Of late, Pakistan Army has lowered the fitness and educational criteria to admit more Sindhis and Balochs.

PoK recruits comprise 6 per cent of Pakistan Army.

65 per cent soldiers are from Punjab and 15 per cent from NWFP and FATA (Pathans areas)
Pothwar region of Punjab proportionately dominates Pakistan Army in terms of soldiers. Pothwar's Jat, Rajputs, Awans, Gakkars and Gurjars are the main recruits in the Pakistan Army.

Three Pakistan Army chiefs have been Punjabi Rajputs- Tikka Khan, Asif Nawaz and Raheel Sharif.

Demonetisation rumours that you may have taken as truth

Photo credit: @saur008

After five days of demonetisation decision, queues were not to be seen outside banks and ATMs for a day on Monday in some parts of the country.

Not because the cash crisis is over, which will anyhow persist till the end of the year- even Prime Minister Narendra Modi admitted this.

The queues vanished because banks finally have a day off in certain states, which is celebrating Guru Purnima or Kartik Purnima.

In the meanwhile, rumour mill is running overtime. Cash crisis is genuine and grave, but there are rumours that you may have believed as truth.

Here are some of them:

1.      Delhi Police received 4,500 calls informing violence outside banks and ATMs. This is not true.Delhi Police issued a clarification about the calls 

@PTI_News Please refer to our clarification explaining the factual position in detail. pic.twitter.com/ffgh9lKkMv

— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) November 12, 2016 

2.        Some reports also suggested that stampede took place outside banks and ATMs in Delhi, which turned out to be false.

3.    DCP’s authorisation is required for exchanging or withdrawing money from RBI counters in Delhi. People were seen rushing to DCP South Delhi. Police were forces to issue another clarification denying such reports.

Advisory pic.twitter.com/kz2IfwGZe7

— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) November 13, 2016

4.    Transporters to go on strike. The word is there in retail markets that in the aftermath of the demonetisation move, the transporters are going on a nation-wide strike, which will lead to acute shortage of essential goods. (One such pic is attached obtained from Google) This has been denied by the transporters association and the road transport and highways ministry.

5.    Salt scarcity in the country. All over the market place, this sentiment is very strong that the country doesn’t have enough stock of salt. The belief is that the demonetisation would lead to crashing down of salt production in coming days. The food and supplies ministry has debunked these reports but the quintessential kitchen item was sold at over Rs 200 a kg not very far from the national capital.

6.    Shopping mall looted in Delhi. A video went viral showing some people climbing the stacks in an upscale grocery shop and grabbing bags of grains, sugar etc. The rumour has it that people were desperate as they were running short on cash and hence broke into the shopping mall. Delhi Police issued a clarification saying that the disorder in the self-catering mall located in Seelampur area was due to some miscreants.

News Update pic.twitter.com/YYTYs4Zfwl

— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) November 12, 2016

7.    

Photo credit: @NNaseemahmad071

What a photo this !!! Unbelievable ! https://t.co/TMaPSAkqBn

— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) November 13, 2016

Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha retweeted this photograph showing humongous queues. This tweet attributed the queue to cash crisis.This photograph has subsequently been many times aggravating the panic, the public is already in. In reality, this photograph was taken in 2013 during Kenyan presidential elections.

Rumormongers @JhaSanjay and @INCIndia use a photo from 2013 Kenyan election to create panic. pic.twitter.com/UBe4y6zpQa

— Spamnath Bharti (@attomeybharti) November 13, 2016

8.    (Three deaths (reported numbers have gone up now were reported due to rush for cash after demonetisation. In two of the cases, family members later clarified that the deaths were not linked to cash crisis. In Mulund, Mumbai the 73-year-old suffered from health complications, his family members were reported as saying. In another case, a woman jumped to death and it was attributed to cash crisis. But, the family members did not later link it to rush for cash. )

Do you know about demonetisation gains of Modi government

Rush for Cash: Waiting in line for hours at banks (Photo credit: @globalissuesweb)

After a day's break queues were back outside banks Tuesday morning. SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya claimed that the queues were getting shorter. However, these are still huge.

But, while the nation stands in queue to get hold of valid currency notes, did you wonder what benefit the government would have from demonetisation move? No?

The next few minutes will help you grasp the benefits for the government and also the immediate negative impact of what is being hailed as a historic and bold decision of the Nrlarendra Modi government.

We begin with the immediate and perhaps negative implications of demonetisation move, which the Congress and former union finance minister P Chidambaram call as mere note change policy implemented poorly.

We will raise this issue in parliament; you will see that money he acquires from you,will be used to fill pockets of industrialists: RGandhi pic.twitter.com/MOiCjfFykJ

— ANI (@ANI_news) November 16, 2016

DEMONETISATION PROBLEMS

Demonetisation has come as a nightmare for the cash logistics industry of the country. To pull back invalid currency notes from over the vast expanse of the country; to fill over 2 lakh ATMs along the length and width of India and to recalibrate and fill all the ATMs have come as a crippling challenge to the relatively new sector.

Long queues outside banks and frustration of people with the empty ATMs are the obvious effects of the entire process. Banks are not functioning the way they should despite the exemplary dedication and resolve shown by the bank staff.

The demonetisation is likely to slowdown consumer spending impeding growth of the FMCG sector due to limited cash availability.

Real estate, jewellery, electronics and other cash dominated and luxury items related sectors would also slow down.

The next quarter GDP figures may also report a slowdown with rural India showing major decline as villages and small urban pockets are hugely cash dependent. Low consumption would entail low growth figures for industries and development statistics of the government.

86% of the currency in the markets was 500/1000 notes, was scrapped by just one announcement. Was it all black?: Anand Sharma,Cong in RS pic.twitter.com/sdEL3p8xam

— ANI (@ANI_news) November 16, 2016

But, after initial hiccups, the results are likely to outweigh the inconvenience caused to people. It is expected that over the period of acceptance of invalidated currency notes in banks, some Rs 4-5 lakh crores will be deposited - money that was not in the banking system.

DEMONETISATION GAINS

A substantial portion of the deposits will be withdrawn as people are frantically depositing their money in banks but they will need money in immediate future. Still, some Rs 3 lakh are expected to remain with banks.

Now consider economics. Every currency note issued by the RBI is a liability on the government. So, those who, likely to be unaccounted money holders, don’t deposit their stacked cash will help government shed off fiscal liabilities.

Those who declare their unaccounted cash thinking whatever they get after paying taxes and penalty is better than burning the stock of old currency. Declaration of black money will make government richer by 60-70% in each case.

Still some people will try to find ways- if reports are to be believed they already are in the business- to short circuit demonetisation and launder their money. But, even this goes in government’s favour as hidden money will come into circulation.

So, where all this leads to? Some enthusiastic calculators have estimated that approximately 50 per cent of the 86 per cent of money in circulation as represented in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations before being demonetised, was illegal or unaccounted or in simpler terms, black money, for which tax was not paid.

This means around Rs 7 lakh crores will either be extinguished as liability or 60-70% of it will come 

to the government coffers by means of tax incidence or penalty for not paying tax in the year of earning. It will enrich the RBI-government combine by approximately Rs 5 lakh crores over the years - the income tax department is bound to take years for calculating the tax liability of each individual depositor after assessing their case. This amount looks an exaggerated one but even a half of it will be enough for the government to wipe out half of the fiscal deficit.

As per the 2016-17 budget document, the fiscal deficit target is to keep it below Rs.5.33 lakh crore or 3.5% of the GDP. Some experts haveestimated that the demonetisation decision will bring something to tune of Rs 3-4 lakh crores.

Sabhi parties se sahyog ki ummeed hai: PM Modi ahead of winter session of Parliament pic.twitter.com/4Y0dnGPadE

— ANI (@ANI_news) November 16, 2016

If such a huge fiscal deficit is bridged this year, it will provide windfall gains for the government in subsequent years.

With inflated chests, the banks will be in a position to reduce interests on both the deposits and loans. This would entail cheaper EMI on various loans. It would may push investment, which, in turn, lead to employment generation.

However, if backed with adequate tightening of loopholes in laws dealing with black money generation, the demonetisation move is likely to pay better dividends in post-2019 years.

Further, with limited cash in circulation, the inflation figures will favour the government.

And, finally, the demonetisation move is likely to give fa fillip to the banking system. An estimated Rs7-8 lakh crore new money will enter into banking, which may multiply by 3+4 times on account of re-circulation. But that may take, again, years.

But in any case, the Modi government can easily go to 2019-elections with good growth figures on its CV.

Delhi: TMC protests at Gandhi statue inside Parliament premises #DeMonetisation pic.twitter.com/KHzpJdM97O

— ANI (@ANI_news) November 16, 2016

Modi deserting Raghuram Rajan bitter but better

The BBC interview of the outgoing RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and his comments about the prime minister betrays the bitter relation between the two top functionaries of governance. Rajan has never shied away from expressing his displeasure at the government’s policies. He has been a very political RBI governor without having affiliation to any political outfit.

In his latest interview with the BBC, Rajan refused to answer a rapid fire question saying “Whatever answer I give will be problematic, so I will just pass.” This shows his utter dislike for the incumbent government. With this statement Rajan may go out at a bold and upfront RBI governor but history may consider him a misfit RBI governor.

If one goes by the role and functions of the RBI as envisaged in its establishment in 1935 and nationalization in 1949, she would not imagine a political RBI. And, this is where Rajan looks a misfit for the role. He remains the academician that he has been for long.

The Banking Regulation Act 1949 and the RBI Act 1953 has given the RBI the power to regulate the banking system. The website of the RBI lays down the following functions of the central bank in India:

Monetary Authority:

• Formulation, implementation and monitoring of the monetary policy.

• Objective: maintaining price stability and ensuring adequate flow of credit to productive sectors.

Regulator and supervisor of the financial system:

• Prescribing broad parameters of banking operations 

• Objective: maintain public confidence in the system, protect depositors' interest and provide cost-effective banking services to the public.

Manager of Foreign Exchange:

• Managing foreign exchange as mandated under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.

• Objective: to facilitate external trade and payment and promote orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.

Issuer of currency:

• The RBI issues and exchanges or destroys currency and coins not fit for circulation.

• Objective: to give the public adequate quantity of supplies of currency notes and coins and in good quality.

Developmental role:

• Performs a wide range of promotional functions to support national objectives.

Related Functions:

• Banker to the Government: performs merchant banking function for the central and the state governments; also acts as their banker.

• Banker to banks: maintains banking accounts of all scheduled banks.

Clearly, the RBI’s defined role is to be the support system of the government of the day. But, with all academic brilliance, Rajan has failed to implement the laid out mandate. Perhaps, his academic brilliance, his astute understanding of the economy forced him to run a somewhat parallel fiscal policy for the country. (Recall his inflation loaded views on interest rates- not talking of merit, just the mandated role and what Rajan actually did). 

Rajan could not become the next Manmohan Singh, who during his governorship, with all understanding of the then changing world, crumbling cold age economy proved an able support system of the Indira Gandhi government. And, ironically it was Manmohan Singh who honoured a commitment by appointing Rajan the RBI governor. But, it seems Rajan did not learn the art of playing his role according the chair from one of the finest prime ministers of India, that Manmohan Singh was.

It looks bitter that Rajan was not given another term by the Modi government. But, it may actually turn out to be better. Any government under parliamentary form like ours deserves a supporting central bank. An adverse central bank would deviate, deflect and distort government’s policies. It has been happening in India leading a state of policy confusion. India can hardly afford to bear policy confusion as a follow up of policy paralysis.

PS: The author is not suggesting that BJP's insinuating machine (SS) was right in launching a tirade against Rajan.

GPS technology to predict footballers' injuries

New Delhi, August 11: Remember Sachin Tendulkar’s tennis elbow, Messi’s back injury, Roger Federer’s knee injury? Forget it. Injuries could be a thing of past in competitive sports. GSP technology can actually be used to predict football injuries! True, according to a new research, footballers’ injuries may be predicted by looking at players’ workloads during training and competition. 

The University of Birmingham and Southampton Football Club joined hands to analyze the performance of players and find links between training and injury. The findings have been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and are being acclaimed.

Researchers have discovered that the greatest injury risks occurred when players accumulated a very high number of short bursts of speed during training over a three-week period.

The findings now provide a set of initial guidelines for helping to reduce the occurrence of injuries in elite youth football. They show that GPS technology and accelerometers can be used to predict the risk of both contact and non-contact injuries.

The Birmingham University study is the first such research on injury risk using GPS technology, which is generally used in football to track players’ speed and acceleration - both in training and competition.

“Our research has huge practical and scientific application. It expands a recent body of literature in rugby league and cricket, which has proposed that the prescription of workloads may be more indicative of injury than the load itself,” said lead researcher Laura Bowen.

According to the study, players generally don’t keep track of their training or actual workload on field. They don’t follow a particular pattern of training or executing the plan on the field. The GPS can keep track of all that and help analyze the weaknesses of body. A careful and structured training and sporting regime could be hence developed reducing the injury worry to the lowest.

Mohammad Shahid goes past the goal post

Do you remember Mohammad Shahid? The great hockey player? Considered as the greatest dribbler, stick magician during the 1980s before Pargat Singh came into picture? The former captain of Indian national hockey team Mohammad Shahid lost his final battle for life. He was in coma and had been on ventilator at the Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon.

Shahid was suffering from a complicated jaundice and dengue. His condition required liver transplantation but his kidneys were not functioning well. So, liver transplant was not possible. His creatinine and bilirubin levels were very high signaling a very critical stage of his ailment.

It was in June when Mohammad Shahid was diagnosed with jaundice and dengue after he complained of severe stomach pain in Varanasi, where he lived. He was rushed to the Sunder Lal Hospital in the BHU. But, his condition worsened. On doctors’ advice, Shahid was airlifted to the Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon on June 29.

Doctors at Medanta said that Shahid developed jaundice due to weak immunity. His body was weak and not responding properly to medication, which complicated the problem. The hockey legend had been in the ICU ever since he was admitted to the Medanta Hospital. To wrest deterioration of his condition doctors put him on the ventilator but the great dribbler slipped into coma on Tuesday. He breathed his last Wednesday.

File Photo: Mohammad Shahid

Shahid worked as the sports officer with the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi- a unit of the Indian Railways, which was bearing the expenses of his treatment. The centre also announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh to support his treatment.

Known for his mesmerizing dribble and dazzling wrist work, fast and hard push, the former centre forward player made his presence felt at the very first appearance in the 1979 Junior World Cup held in France. The same year he graduated to the senior level and was made part of V Baskaran’s national team. Mohammad Shahid was the member of the hockey team which won an Olympic gold medal in 1980 in the controversial Moscow edition. This was the last hockey gold medal at the Olympics that India won in the game.

Such was his dominance in the Olympic and thereafter in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan that Shahid was chosen for the Arjuna Award in 1980-81. He was also conferred with the Padma Shree in 1986 for his extraordinary performance on the field. In partnership with Zafar Iqbal, Shahid ran like a hare in the field. He was the greatest runner, dribbler and striker of his time. He was part of the team which won silver medal at 1982 Asian Games and was the captain in 1986 when his team won bronze at the Asian Games. Soon, followed his exit from the game.

Many believe that Mohammad Shahid left the game prematurely. He should have continued. Once again, at 56, he left the field early. He should have continued

GST politics and mother-in-law syndrome

It was perhaps during the stone age cultures that the mother-in-law came into being. We have moved into the age of virtual world (Maya?) but mothers-in-law continue to dominate the psyche of human beings. You don't believe? See Whatsapp messages, jokes shared but do forget real life experiences. But, I never thought the our politics is also afflicted with this syndrome.

Mothers-in-law justify their acts towards their Bahus by putting up a defence that what she is subjecting her Bahu to she faced it herself when she was a Bahu. They also claim that they are not the kind of tyrants their mothers-in-law used to be. They project a moderate and more plausible face by inventing new logic every other generation. I am afraid same could be said about Indian politics. GST Bill is a classic example of this attitude.

It was in 2007-08 when the then finance minister P Chidambaram proposed to implement the GST Bill by April 1, 2011. It was the deadline, which seemed very far into future. UPA-I would have been gone by then. New government would have taken any call. But, Chidambaram knew it well. He had faith in continuity of the coalition-in-government. So, he wished to usher in the second generation reform through a unified goods and services tax bill.

Chidambaram continued to appeal to the then opposition block led by the BJP till 2014 to pass the GST Bill. But, the BJP always found some fault with it. Its approach was so frustrating that just ahead of the budget session of the deadline year, 2011 the then prime minister Manmohan Singh lashed out at the BJP in his interaction with TV media editors. He was so convinced of the BJP's strategy that he did not talk of finding a meeting ground. 

Five years down the line the now ruling BJP and its prime minister sees some hope in the Congress as Narendra Modi talked of reaching a consensus and passing the GST Bill. But, the Congress does not look in the mood of let it go. The treatment that the BJP meted out to their reforms haunts the Congress so badly that it is hellbent on forcing the BJP swallow the same bitter pill. The mother-in-law syndrome.

File Photo: P Chidambaram and Narendra Modi

Earlier BJP led by the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi opposed GST Bill saying the states would suffer loss. Now, the Congress wants a constitutional guarantee for the same. Back then Narendra Modi has suggested tax-autonomy for Gujarat. (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080613/jsp/frontpage/story_9405524.jsp)

But, now the Congress wants constitutional amendment for any future change in tax rates.

The GST deadlock is purely political. It's been 25 years when India opened itself to the world but the same political party is blocking the way for opening India to the Indians in what is being termed a next generation reform, which the former prime minister and the architect of the first reforms, Manmohan Singh called an 'envy of the world'. And, the other party is now pleading for reforms. The court of politics remains the same, the players have switched sides. The ball is yet to rest.

Religion can do good things as well

To divide is religion. Religion either makes a person terrorist or a coward. From Rome to Asom, religion has played several dirty tricks. But, the same religion can be a partner in solving serious global problems including terrorism and environment degradation. 

Churches, temples, mosques can easily eradicate poverty if they open their chest. But, they don't. Even the government won't let them do this. To some sceptics, it would take them back to proverbial dark age when churches, temples ruled. Mosques still do in some parts of the world.

But, a brave step has been taken by the Good Shepherd Church of India. It has now joined the Haritha Haram campaign which aims at making Telangana green. Telangana has a good tribal population. So, some conversionists may be looking at it as a good avenue to expand their faith. But, there are agencies to see that they don't lure or force tribal or poor people.

Dr. Joseph D’ Souza, Moderator Bishop of the Good Shepherd Church pledged to promote plantation of trees in Telangana as the state finance minister Etela Rajender Garu launched the Haritha Haram campaign. The minister, the bishop and others planted saplings to mark the occasion. 

Dr. Joseph D’ Souza, Moderator Bishop plants sapling in Hyderabad on Friday

But, the focus should be on the church people as D'Souza said, "This is in line with what the Bible teaches. We have to take care of God's creation." If the scriptures teaches environmental care why the Church have neglected it till now? The followers of the Church have done the biggest damage to the environment.

Pundits have been claiming that the plants are worshipped in Hinduism. But, they never cared for launching a movement to protect one of the gods. They have been busy in finding another house for just one of the gods, who is now more a symbol of politics than worship. 

The Quran proclaims that God is the creator of the world. "The Earth is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you his stewards over it." But, Maulvis seldom take note of it. They are quite busy with women's clothing, laws of property, right to choice of food, right to block the road for offering prayer et al.

So, if some priest is taking interest in expanding green cover, it is a welcome step. Green is not a colour of religion. The proponents of green have chosen black.

Kashmir as it stands today

Kashmir... This word has emotive connotations in two big South Asian nations, India and Pakistan. Whenever this word is uttered, a part of their conscience-sentiment gets stirred up. They start feeling as if they have been cheated by someone. Who? Answer does not have a definite article. It’s complex. People become staunch nationalists, get angry and confused at the same time for they don’t understand what’s Kashmir.

So, what’s Kashmir?

Kashmir is a part of Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which also includes Laddakh and Aksai Chin captured by China during 1962 war. Geographically speaking Kashmir consists of high mountains in the Himalayan and trans-himalayan ranges hosting several highest peaks and a beautiful vale of Kashmir. It includes Pak occupied Kashmir as well. Aksai Chin forms part of Laddakh, a different geographical expression from Kashmir.

History

Kashmir finds mention in ancients texts of India and Tibet. Mythology goes that it was founded by a sage called Kashyap, who is said to have drained a lake to reclaim the valley or land. So, the name Kashmir. During Chandragupta Maurya's time or during Alexander's invasion Kashmir was a political entity and part of the expanding Magadh Empire. 

A few years later, Ashoka is credited with quelling a rebellion there. Like all ancient political unit, the history of princely Kashmir is fraught with wars and bloodshed. This continued till 1860 when the present geographical denomination of Kashmir came into existence. The British recognised this.

The Partition

The India Independence Act, 1947 paved way for creation of India and Pakistan. At that time India had over 550 big and small princely states. They were given option, under the Act, to go either side or remain independent. Most of the states signed treaties and merged with India or Pakistan. A couple of Kings showed resistance or reluctance. The King of Kashmir, Hari Singh was not willing to join either. And, he made it clear. So, technically speaking at the Independence, three countries came into existence: India, Pakistan and Kashmir, which comprised Jammu and Laddakh as well.

The Problem

Pakistan sponsored militia-invaded Kashmir in September 1947 under the guidance of Major General Akbar Khan of Pakistani Army. Hari Singh did not have enough means to protect his state or himself. He asked the Indian government to come to his rescue. The Indian leadership headed by Pt. Nehru and Sardar Patel did not accept the request immediately. They first asked the King to sign a treaty for merger with India saying that similar treaties had been signed by other princely states. This treaty with the King is known as the Instrument of Accession, which was signed in October 1947. 

Now, Indian forces landed on the territory of Kashmir. But by then Pakistan backed forces had occupied almost one-third of Kashmir. Indian government decided to protect the capital of Kashmir and the princely house there. It did not wish to push Pakistani forces beyond Kashmir, by now the territory of India. Perhaps, the Indian leadership could not understand the meaning of Kashmir’s merger with India. Here lies the core political problem of status of Kashmir.

(POK- Pak Occupied Kashmir; COK- China Occupied Kashmir)

Going to the UN

India took the matter to United Nations. India filed the case under Article 37 instead of Articles 36 and 51 of the Charter. Simplified, Article 36 refers to the invasion of a sovereign territory by an outside power. While Article 37 refers to the invasion of a territory disputed between the two countries, by one of them. Lodging the complaint under Article 37 was negation of the India Independence Act. Simply put, despite Kashmir having become an integral territory of India, the government of India admitted at the UN that a part of it was not surely under its sovereignty.

The Resolution

The UNSC Resolution 47 on Kashmir was passed. It asked for the appointment of two neutral observers by the UN and holding a plebiscite in Kashmir to determine the democratic will of the resident population.

The Two Conditions

The UN clamped two conditions.

1. that Pakistan should withdraw its troops from Kashmir

2. having seen that India should do the same before actual plebiscite could be held.

The Follow Up

Pakistan never thought of going back from Kashmir. And, so India was not bound to either withdraw or hold plebiscite. Though, India has been holding parliamentary and state elections there and it is forwarded as a sort of plebiscite by the Indian think tank.

But, technically nothing could be done on the UN Resolution. And, this is where the Kashmir issue stands today. 

Violence in the Kashmir Valley is a by-product of internal and international politicking (not politics).