United Nations: Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, underscores the importance of the 1972 Simla Agreement in finding a definitive solution to the Kashmir problem that aligns with the UN Charter.
He reaffirms, “Our unwavering stance on Kashmir is that the final settlement of the dispute concerning Jammu and Kashmir must be achieved through peaceful means, in line with the Charter of the United Nations and with utmost respect for human rights.”
He further acknowledges, “The Secretary-General also acknowledges the 1972 agreement on bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, also known as the Simla Agreement.”
Following the Bangladesh War of Independence, a deal was made in Shimla between Pakistan’s president at the time, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and India’s prime minister, Indira Gandhi.
The two nations’ agreement stated that disagreements between their neighbours, particularly those involving Kashmir, were to be settled bilaterally and without the assistance of outside parties.
At the daily UN briefing, Haq was responding to a question from a Palestinian journalist who said that the UN had been silent on the “atrocities committed for the past five years” since August 5, 2019, when Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which granted Kashmir special status, was repealed.
UN’s position “is governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolutions”, Haq said, reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to international law.
The Pakistani government is mandated by Security Council Resolution 47, which was adopted on April 21, 1948, “to secure the withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistani nationals not normally resident therein who have entered the State for the purpose of fighting, and to prevent any intrusion into the State of such elements and any furnishing of material aid to those fighting in the State”.
Pakistanis and their allies cite the Security Council resolution calling for a vote in Kashmir, but they disregard the Council’s insistence that Pakistan evacuate the seized territories.
It is also prohibited for Pakistan to support terrorists in Kashmir under that resolution.
India contends that a plebiscite is pointless in light of Pakistan’s disregard for the resolution and that the people of Kashmir have already had an opportunity to express their preferences by taking part in local elections.
(Photo: UN/IANS)
