The United Nations Security Council has passed several resolutions specifically addressing the Kashmir dispute. These resolutions represent the international community’s clearest statement on what must happen. Yet decades later, they remain unimplemented.
Resolution 47 (April 1948)
The most significant UN resolution on Kashmir called for a free and impartial plebiscite — a direct vote by the people — to determine whether the region would join India or Pakistan. Both countries were required to reduce their military presence as a precondition. India argues Kashmir’s accession is final. Pakistan insists the resolution remains valid. The Kashmiri people have never been given the vote it promised.
Why the Plebiscite Never Happened
Both India and Pakistan cited the other’s non-compliance as justification for not withdrawing forces. India later argued that state elections satisfied the democratic requirement. Pakistan rejected this. The disagreement has persisted for over seven decades.
International Law and Self-Determination
The right to self-determination is enshrined in the UN Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Legal scholars have long argued this right applies to the people of Kashmir, who have never been given a formal mechanism to express their collective will.
“The unresolved status of Jammu & Kashmir represents one of the most significant failures of the post-colonial international order to deliver on its promise of self-determination.”
Kashmeeriyat calls on the international community to recommit to UN resolutions — not as a political favour to any nation, but as a matter of basic justice for the Kashmiri people.