Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Should India be admitted as an observer state? Overview It seems remarkable that an organization broadly representative of the Ummah – the global community of Muslims – does not include India, a country called home by over 170 million Muslims. Nearly 1 in 9 of the world’s Muslims lives in India, but it is not a member-state of the OIC, perhaps in part because India is not a majority-Muslim country (4 of 5 Indians are not Muslim) and in part because of India’s unresolved dispute with neighboring Pakistan (an OIC member) over Jammu & Kashmir. In recent years the possibility of India’s admission to the OIC as an observer state (not as a full member) has been raised. On the one hand, observer status would permit representatives of India’s Muslim minority to participate in the OIC’s proceedings. On the other hand, perhaps observer status is either too much (for a country that has antagonized the Islamic Republic of Pakistan) or too little (why not full membership status?). Consider the question of whether India should be admitted to OIC as an observer state, and determine where the country you will represent in the OIC would be for or against this proposal, and under what conditions you might be prepared to negotiate India’s status vis-à-vis the OIC. Historical Context/Background India has been tied to the OIC since the organization’s very beginning. Although India is not currently an OIC member state or observer state, it was a part of the first Islamic Summit Conference. Held in Rabat in September of 1969, this conference gave birth to the OIC. The original purpose of the summit was to address the desecration of the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, which had been damaged by arson. Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal was instrumental in extending the invitation to India as he argued that the desecration of the third holiest place in Islam was a matter of concern to all Muslims, not merely to “Muslim states.” He further argued that India’s very large Muslim population entitled it to be represented at the conference. Subsequent developments and the antics of the Pakistani President of the time, Yahya Khan (in refusing to leave his residence until the Indian delegation was no longer invited to meetings), resulted in the exclusion of the Indian delegation from the remaining sessions of the 1969 Islamic Summit Conference. No invitations were extended to India in subsequent years and the domestic political backlash of the Rabat incident persuaded most people in India against the OIC. Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference It was only after the Pakistan-backed insurgency in Kashmir beginning around 1990 that Pakistan started using the OIC as a forum to produce strident anti-India resolutions. These resolutions were a source of embarrassment for India until the world-view on Islamist terror turned around after 2001. Meanwhile, India was able to contain the armed insurgency in Kashmir, but hostility between the two neighbors and rivals continued. At the OIC meetings preceding their Summit in 2003, a senior Qatari official proposed that India should be invited to join the organization. While the proposal was not taken much further, its point that the Muslim community of India lives and flourishes in a secular environment, had an impact on the larger membership of the OIC, especially those which had seen an exponential growth in their economic relations with India. India’s growth and economic success and its growing relationship with the United States has affected the monarchs in the Gulf. This has allowed India to find ways of marrying the Middle East’s hydrocarbon and financial resources with India’s skills, human resource talent, and exponentially growing market. It was in this context, in 2006 during a visit to Delhi that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah suggested that India could obtain an observer status in the OIC like Russia. Pakistan strongly objected to the proposal, and India also did not show interest. The argument for seeking a limited association with an observer status suggests that since Russia and others have an observer status there, it would not hurt India to join as well. The OIC unilaterally announced that it would act as an envoy for Kashmir if India legitimized it by seeking any association with the OIC. The territory of Kashmir was greatly contested even before India and Pakistan won their independence from Britain in August 1947. Under the partition plan provided by the Indian Independence Act of 1947, Kashmir was free to accede to India or Pakistan. The King of Kashmir at first decided to remain independent, but eventually acceded to India, signing over key powers to the Indian government in return for military aid and a promised referendum. Since then, the territory has been the spark for two of the three India-Pakistan wars: the first in 1947, the second in 1965. In 1999, India fought a brief but bitter conflict with Pakistani-backed forces that infiltrated Indian-controlled territory in the Kargil area of Kashmir. (For an overview of the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, see the timeline at the end of this topic guide and further reading sources.) Although in recent years violence in Indian-administered Kashmir has abated, the causes of the insurgency have not gone away. Demonstrations still take place regularly in the Kashmir valley. Many people in the territory, especially in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley do not want to be governed by India and prefer to be either independent or part of Pakistan. The population of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir is over 60% Muslim, making Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference it the only state within India where Muslims are in the majority. The young people in the Kashmir valley especially sense alienation from Delhi, and the sentiment has only worsened with high unemployment and the use the military to stifle protests. Although the insurgency today may not be so vigorously fought as it was in the 1990s, the scope for violence to resurface is very much present. Source: http://islamicbanking.info/trying-to-bring-islamic-banking-to-india/ Current Situation The decision of whether or not India should be admitted as an observer state to the OIC depends upon many different but connected parts. In spite of having the third largest Muslim population in the world, India isn't a member or even an observer within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. While countries like Saudi Arabia have overtly supported the inclusion of India within the OIC, Pakistan has blocked India’s membership, citing irreconcilable differences. The current requirements for membership in the OIC are as follows: ● Being an Islamic state and/or having a large Muslim population ● No violation of its values as specified in the OIC Charter ● Absolute consensus by existing members in approving new memberships It has been stated that no United Nations Member State wishing to be a member of the OIC may be in current conflict with a member already in the OIC. This is the main issue keeping India from being granted membership. The Indo-Pak dispute over the region of Kashmir has Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference made it difficult for some current OIC Member States (including Pakistan) to allow for India’s inclusion. Several nations feel that India’s secular status and 20% Muslim (minority) population are what's keeping it from the OIC, since the OIC Charter stipulates that solely Muslim countries willing to push the objectives of the organisation are eligible for membership. However, many non-Islamic nations (but with large Muslim populations) have received membership in the past. As India has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, why should this be a reason for India to not be a member? Furthermore, with India’s Muslim population being a minority, would it not allow the OIC to better address problems of Muslim minority populations globally? (For more on the OIC and Muslim minority populations, see Sa’ad S. Khan’s article from 2002 in the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs.) The main issue keeping India from being granted membership is the Indo-Pak dispute over the region of Kashmir. In early October 2009, the OIC appointed a special envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, drawing a wedge between India and itself. The OIC stresses that as long as the Indo-Pak tension over the region remains unresolved, there's little or no area for improvement in the organisation’s relations with India. While the OIC advocates the problem of self-determination and resolution of Kashmir in accordance with the UN resolutions of 1948 and 1949, India is firm regarding resolving the difficulty bilaterally with Pakistan. This stand has been receiving increasing international acceptance, and seems to be the foremost choice to resolve the Kashmir issue. However, as much as these issues influence the decision about India’s membership, the debate here isn't regarding Kashmir or regarding Pakistan. The larger concern is the Muslim Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference world and what it stands to realize with India finding a grip within the OIC. It seems natural to anticipate that India would gain reciprocal diplomatic advantages through such a move. Equally vital are factors that were highlighted by Hamid Ansari in 2006. (See full statements below.) The former diplomat and Indian Vice-President mentioned India deserves to be an OIC member, not simply an observer, since although India isn't a part of the Muslim world, “it isn't far away from it; not a Muslim majority state in statistical terms nevertheless host to the biggest community of Muslims in the world; not a society centered on Muslim welfare solely however one in which Muslims, as an integral a part of a larger whole, get the attention that each other section does.” As a result, a formal place for India within the OIC would augment the collective believability and negotiation power of the organization. The OIC would be able to leverage India in regard to vital problems concerning the Muslim world. This would facilitate the OIC address the “state of disunity” among Muslims, which several see as one of the worst in fourteen centuries of Islamic history. In a post-9/11 twenty-first century, the Muslim world faces various challenges – impoverishment, terrorism, entails political reform and unemployment. In addressing these and implementing the Ten-Year Programme of Action that was set out at the OIC Summit in Makkah in 2005, several believe India’s experiences would be more of an asset than a liability — particularly envisaging joint action to push tolerance and moderation, modernization, in depth reforms in all spheres of activities such as science and technology, education, trade, and sensible governance and promotion of human rights. With over 250 million Muslims as of 2015, most of them a part of the world’s largest democratic process, India deserves to be related to the OIC. It's however, imperative to note that India has never formally requested OIC membership, which results in skepticism regarding their desire to essentially be associated with the OIC. Also, being a secular country, several internal political organisations powerfully disfavor India’s potential association with the OIC, or any other non-secular organization. It should be re-emphasized, though, that India has never formally applied to be either a member state or observer state of the OIC. The government has expressed interest in joining but, because of its secular nature and the initial disgrace of the 1969 Conference, India has not formally applied. India’s desire to join or not to join the OIC is a matter only its government and citizens can determine. It is further important to take into consideration the impact of India’s membership (both positively and negatively) on the OIC and on the Muslim world overall. ***** FortheperspectiveofanIndianofficialontherelationshipbetweenIndiaandtheOIC, pleasereadthedocumentthatspansthenextthreepages. Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference From:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/the-oic-and-india-signals-of-a-rethink/article3246619.ece January30,2006–MohammadHamidAnsari(PreviousChairmanofIndia’sNational CommissionforMinorities,currentVicePresidentofIndia)articlefromTheHinduentitled, “TheOICandIndia:SignalsofaRe-Think” ONTHEeveof[a]recentvisittoIndia,inaninterviewtoanIndiannewspaper,KingAbdullah BinAbdulazizofSaudiArabiaremarkedthat"Indiashouldhaveanobserverstatusinthe OrganisationoftheIslamicConferencesimilartothatheldbyRussia."Headdeditwouldbe "beneficial"ifIndia'sentrywasproposed"byanationlikePakistan." Intheabsenceofatranscript,itisdifficulttovisualisethecontextofthequestionand theanswer.Onthefaceofit,itsuggeststheOIC(oratleastitsmostimportantmember)isnow inclinedtoofferIndiaanobserverstatusafterhavingdoneitforRussia.Italsosuggestsa preferredproceduralmethodology.Thishintsatanelementoftentativenessaboutthe suggestionandmakesitatrialballoon.Thatitwasso,andwasquicklypunctured,isevident fromthereactionemanatingfromPakistan.Any Neitheranostrich-likepostureofignoring countrythatwishedtoacquireobserverstatuswith theOIC,saidtheofficialspokespersonoftheForeign theOICnoranavidembracewouldserve MinistryinIslamabad,"shouldnotbeinvolvedinany India'spurpose.Incrementalinteraction, andaquietinsistenceontherestoration disputewithamemberstate." oftheoriginalmembership,wouldbea TheOIC'sinteractionwithIndiahasahistory. betteralternative. TheOrganisationitselfisaproductoftheIslamic SummitConferenceheldatRabatonSeptember22-25,1969.Theprovocationforthat gatheringwasthedesecrationoftheAlAqsamosqueinJerusalem.KingFaisalofSaudiArabia waspersonallyinstrumentalinhavingIndiainvitedtotheConference.Heacceptedthe argumentthatthedesecrationofthethirdholiestplaceinIslamwasamatterofconcerntoall Muslims,notmerelyto"Muslimstates"andthatIndia,withitsverylargeMuslimpopulation, wasentitledtobeconcerned.However,sincethegatheringwasaninter-governmentalone, onlytheGovernmentofIndiacouldbeinvited.Consequently,Indiaparticipatedinthethird sessionoftheConference,ontheafternoonofSeptember23.TheChairmanoftheConference, KingHasanofMorocco,interruptedthescheduledorderofspeakerstogivethefloor"tothe AmbassadorofIndiawhoisrepresentinghiscountryaftertheConferencehasdecidedthat Indiashouldberepresented."ThespeechoftheIndiandelegateformspartoftheofficial transcriptoftheConference. Subsequentdevelopments,andtheanticsofthethenPresidentofPakistan,aretoowell knowntobearrepetition.ItresultedintheforcibleexclusionoftheIndiandelegationfromthe subsequentsessionsoftheConference.Furthermore,theDeclarationoftheConferencewas ingeniouslycraftedtoshowthemas"RepresentativesofMoslemCommunityofIndia." NoinvitationswereextendedtoIndiainsubsequentyearsandthedomesticpolitical backlashoftheRabatincidentpersuadedmostpeopleinIndiatowishawaytheOICandits Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference activities-tillabout1990whenPakistanidiplomacydiscoveredittobeafertilegroundfor focussedanti-Indianresolutions.Facedwiththepracticalnecessityofcounteringthese,Indian diplomatsinvariousplaceswereinstructedtointeractwithOICofficialstodrawattentionto theIndiansideofthecase.Theexerciseresultedinsomesofteningofpositionsbutmadelittle dentonformalresolutions. TheCharteroftheOICwasfinalisedinMarch1972andwasregisteredwiththeUnited NationsonFebruary1,1974.TheOICclaimedandwasaccordedthestatusofanintergovernmentalorganisation.TheU.N.GeneralAssemblyroutinelyadoptsbyconsensusa resolutioneveryyearoncooperationbetweentheU.N.andtheOIC.Inanessentiallypractical gesture,withperhapssometingeofsymbolism,Indianeversoughttoopposethisconsensus. Manymoonslater,andinachangedandchangingworld,aprocessofreassessingthe positionoftheOICvis-a-visIndiawasgingerlyinitiated,firstbySudanandthenbyQatar.The onsetofregulartalksbetweenIndiaandPakistanfurtheredthere-thinkintheexpectationthat itwouldsavemanyOICmembersfromthedistastefultaskoftakingpositions. InthemeantimeRussia,drivenbyimperativesofthesituationinChechnya,soughtto reducehostilityintheMuslimworldbymakingoverturesthatwereaccommodatedfora varietyofreasons.Hencetheofferofobserverstatusthatwasavidlyaccepted.TheRussians, likesomeothers,haddiscoveredthata"Muslimcause,"tomakeprogressintheOIC,neededa sponsorwithintheOrganisation. Inthisbackground,theIndiangovernmenthasnotreactedpubliclytoKingAbdullah's exploratorysuggestion.Itis,ofcourse,possibletoignoretheOICsincethepeakofits unfriendlyactivitiesisinanycasebehindusandisunlikelytoberevived.Ontheotherhand, however,anIndiathatisnolongerbesieged,maywellconsiderrespondingdifferently. Ifthedebateistobereopened,itneedstogobacktothebeginning.IfIndiawasan originalinvitee,thequestionofofferingitanobserverstatusshouldnotarise.Instead,itshould beasimplematterofrestoringthefounder-membershipthatwastakenawayfromIndiabya sleightofhandthatdidnocredittothosewhodidit,orassisteditinanymanner.Infact,the offerandacceptanceofanalternativestatuswouldrevalidatewhatwasdonein1969.Forthis reason,itshouldberejected. ThedebateisalsoaboutrecognisingIndia'suniqueness:itisnotapartoftheMuslim worldbutisnotawayfromit;notaMuslimmajoritystateinstatisticaltermsyethosttothe secondlargestcommunityofMuslimsintheworld;notasocietyfocussedonMuslimwelfare onlybutoneinwhichMuslims,asanintegralpartofalargerwhole,gettheattentionthat everyothersectiondoes. TheIndianexperienceofapluralsociety,secularpolity,anddemocraticstatestructure is,infact,relevanttoallsocietiesthatarenothomogenous.Itoffersanalternativetothe multiculturalmodelthatisnowunderstressinmanyWesternsocieties.Indiaisasaladbowl,of pluralisminthoughtandaction. Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference Twoquestionsinevitablyarise.WouldtheOICbewillingtotravelfarenoughonthis question?WouldIndiabepreparedtoretrieveitsfullmembershipoftheclub? IthasbeenevidentforsometimethattheindividualmembersoftheOIChaveindulged insomeintrospectionabouttheOrganisationanditsactivities.Malaysiatooktheleadinthis; sodidTurkeyinsomemeasurefromitsuniquepositionofaconstitutionallysecularstatethatis alsooverwhelminglyMuslimintermsofitsdemography.IrandidlikewiseintheKhatamiera.In recentmonthsKingAbdullahofSaudiArabiahastakentheinitiativeofconveningfirsta conferenceofMuslimintellectuals,andthenofOICheadsofgovernment,toreviewandrethinktheobjectivesofthegrouping.Theoutcome,regrettably,waslessthanadequate. TheIndianposition,onitspart,isgroovedintheexperienceof1969andhasbeen reinforcedbythenegativeperceptionsgeneratedbytheOICinitsparrot-likereiterationof resolutionsthatevenPakistan,initspresentdiplomaticposture,wouldfindoflittleuse. Despitethis,theremaybeacaseforthinkingbeyondtheobvious. TheOICaccountsforabout29percentofthetotalmembershipoftheU.N.,47percent oftheAfricanUnion,and100percentofthemembershipoftheArabLeague,theGulf CooperationCouncil(GCC),andtheEconomicCooperationOrganisation(ECO).Nearerhome, threeofthesevenmembersoftheSouthAsianAssociationforRegionalCooperation(SAARC) areintheOICandsoarethreeASEANstates,withtwoothers(PhilippinesandThailand) attendingmeetingsasguests.TheOIC,therefore,isafactorofrelevanceinmultilateral gatheringsanddoesinfluencetheoutcomeofelectionstoU.N.bodies,andtheirdecisions. Geographyisrelevant.Muslimcountriesandsocietiesformtheimmediateand proximateneighbourhoodofIndiainSouth,SouthEast,Central,andWestAsia.Contactswith Muslimcountriesfigureprominentlyinourexternalrelations.Theseforthemostparthavea substantiveeconomiccontent,andconsiderablepotentialintermsofourdeveloping capabilities.Theyhaveabearingonourstrategicenvironment. Thechallengenowistodefinethecontoursofpolicythatwouldenergisetheserelations,inan imaginativerenewalofexistingcommitments,intermsofthepresent-dayimperatives.Theaim shouldbeto(a)expandareasofmutuallybeneficialcooperation,(b)minimiseareasof misperceptionordivergenceofinterests,and(c)maximiseadvantagesthatmayaccrueto India. ManyyearsbacktheIslamicDevelopmentBankwaspermittedtooperateaprogramme inIndia.Similarly,someinteractionhastakenplacewiththeculturalaffiliatesoftheOIC.This canbedevelopedaspartofourculturaldiplomacy.TheaimshouldbetoshownottheMuslim faceofIndiabuttheIndianfacethathasaMuslimdimensionalso. Neitheranostrich-likepostureofignoringtheOICnoranavidembracewouldserve India'spurpose.Incrementalinteraction,andaquietinsistenceontherestorationofthe originalmembership,wouldbeabetteralternative. Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference Involved Actors/UN Involvement India ● Current Prime Minister: Narendra Modi ● Muslims account for 14.2% of India’s population and are India’s largest minority population (according to 2011 Census) ● State with highest Muslim population in India is J&K (Kashmir) at 68.3% Pakistan ● Current Prime Minister: Nawaz Sharif ● In conflict with India over J&K and calls for self-determination of population ● Vehemently opposes India’s membership or observer status in OIC Jammu and Kashmir ● State in northern India, also known as J&K ● Disputed since independence between India and Pakistan (and China, at times) ● Only state in India with a Muslim-majority population Saudi Arabia ● Founding member of OIC ● First invited India to join in the 1969 Islamic Summit Conference ● In 2006, King Abdullah stated the idea of observer status for India in OIC during a visit to Delhi OIC ● Has admitted observer states and member states through the Council of Foreign Ministers even though some criteria may not have been upheld (i.e. “Islamic state” versus large Muslim population) ● Could be said that it has become Pakistan’s venting route about India For OIC’s most recent resolutions on J&K and India/Pakistan, see pages 21 and pages 25, respectively, here: http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv3/subweb/cfm/42/en/42cfm_res_pol_r2_en.pdf Forquestionstoanswerasyoupreparetodeliberatethisissue,andforatimelineofevents,references, andadditionalresources,seetheremainingpagesofthetopicguide. Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference Questions to Ponder 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of India joining the OIC for the Organisation itself? Would India’s accession be advantageous or troublesome for the Member-State you represent? 2. How would joining the OIC change Members’ relationships with India as trading partners in the Middle East? In what other ways might OIC membership alter India’s relationships with Member-States? 3. Should an international organization with a religious basis such as the OIC accept as Member-States countries that are secular or specifically in this case, non-Islamic? 4. Should the requirement for consensus be suspended or annulled when it comes to decisions such as new members? Should a majority vote be followed instead? 5. Should OIC reconsider the observer or membership status of other potential states such as the Philippines or Northern Cyprus? If so, why? If not, why not? 6. Should India be encouraged to become an observer state of the OIC? If not, should alternative arrangements be made to allow India greater presence or influence on the Organisation? TimelineofEventsinJammuandKashmir(J&K) 1846:TheStateofJammuandKashmiriscreatedundertheTreatyofAmristar,whentheMaharaja GulabSinghbuystheKashmirValleyfromtheEastIndiaCompanyandaddsittoJammuandLadakh alreadyunderhisrule. 1857:TheIndianRebellionof1857againsttheBritish/FirstIndianWarofIndependence. 1931:ThemovementagainsttheMaharajainKashmirbeginsbutissuppressedbyStateforces. 1932:SheikhMohammedAbdullahsetsupthe‘AllJammuandKashmirMuslimConference’tofight forKashmirifreedomfromtheMaharaja'srule,whichwouldbranchofftobecometheNational Conferencein1939.TheGlancyCommissionpublishesareportinApril1932,highlightingthe inequalityoftheMuslimpopulationanddiscussestheneedfortheiradequaterepresentationin thestate'sservices;theMaharajaacceptstheserecommendationsbutdelaysimplementation;the MaharajagrantsaConstitutionprovidingalegislativeassemblyforthepeople,buttheAssembly turnsouttobepowerless. 1939:TheNationalConferencelaunchesthe‘QuitKashmir’movementdemandingabrogationof theTreatyofAmritsarandacallofsovereigntyforthepeopleofKashmir. Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference 1940:ThePakistanResolutionispassedanddemandstheestablishmentofanindependentstate, comprisingallregionsinwhichMuslimsarethemajority. 1947(Mar):AninternalrevoltbeginsinthePoonchregionbutissuppressedbytheMaharaja’s forces. 1947(15Aug):ThepartitionofIndia:TheBritishIndianEmpireisdissolvedandtheMuslim-majority areasintheEastandWestarepartitionedtoformtheseparatestateofPakistan. 1947:KashmirsignstheStandstillAgreementwithPakistan.TheMaharajadelayshisdecisionto accedeintoeitherIndiaorPakistan. 1947(Oct):Indo-PakistaniWarof1947:ThousandsofPashtunsfromPakistan’sNorthWest FrontierProvinceattackKashmirandtheMaharaja’sforces.TheMaharajaaskIndiaforhelp,who abidesundertheconditionsthatherelinquishcontroloverdefense,communicationandforeign affairstoIndia.TheMaharajaagreesandsignstheInstrumentofAccession. TheIndianArmyentersthestatetorepeltheinvaders.SheikhAbdullahendorsestheaccessionas ad-hocwhichwouldbeultimatelydecidedbyaplebisciteandisappointedheadoftheemergency administration. 1948:IndiatakestheKashmirproblemtotheUNSecurityCouncil.Theresolutionordersthe cessationofhostilitiesandaformulationofatruceagreement,andthataplebisciteshould determinethefutureofJammuandKashmir.However,bothcountriescannotagreeontheterms ofdemilitarisation. 1949:On1January,theceasefirebetweenIndianandPakistaniforcesleavesIndiaincontrolof mostofthevalley,aswellasJammuandLadakh,whilePakistangainscontrolofpartofKashmir including,whatPakistancalls,AzadKashmirandNorthernterritories. 1950(Jan):Indiagainsindependenceandbecomesarepublic. 1957:India’sHomeMinisterdeclaresthattheStateofJammuandKashmirisafundamentalpartof Indiaandtherecanbenoquestionofaplebiscite.Kashmiriactivistscontinuetoinsistonselfdetermination. Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference 1963(Dec):MassuprisingsoccurintheKashmirValleyandprotestsoccuragainstArticles356and 357oftheIndianConstitution,bywhichtheIndiangovernmentcanexerciselegislativepowers.The Indianarmyattackstheprotesters. 1965:Indo-PakistanWarof1965.PakistanbacksrebelgroupsinKashmirandsendsarmedPakistani infiltratorstojointhemacrosstheceasefireline,whichleadstomoreviolenceacrossthewholeof theKashmirValley. 1966:KashmirinationalistsformanotherPlebisciteFrontwithanarmedwingcalledtheJammuand KashmirNationalLiberationFront(NLF)inAzadKashmir,withtheobjectiveoffreeingKashmirfrom Indianoccupation. 1971:TheIndo-PakistanWarof1971:PakistandescendsintocivilwarafterEastPakistandemands autonomyandlaterindependenceofwhatwillbecomeBangladesh. 1972:IndiaandPakistanagreetoaceasefire,andsigntheSimlaAgreement,whichstatesthatthey willrespecttheLineofControl,theborderbetweenthetwocountriesandChina.However,fighting continuesalongthisline,makingitoneofthemostviolentanddangerousborderlinesintheworld. 1987-1990:KashmirInsurgency:Afterthe1987electionstheMuslimUnitedFront(MUF)declares theelectionsasrigged,andtheinsurgencyinthevalleyincreases.TheMUFcandidatelaterbreaks awaytobecomeheadofthemilitantgroupHizb-ul-Mujahedin.Furtherprotestsandanti-India demonstrationsintheKashmirValleyfollowedbypoliceretaliation,arrestsandcurfewordersby theIndianpoliceandarmy. 1989:AttheendoftheSovietoccupationofAfghanistanagreatdealofweaponsarereleasedinto KashmirandPakistanprovidesfurthertrainingtoKashmiriandforeignmilitantgroupsinKashmir. TheKashmiriindependencemovementbecomesmoreIslamistinitsideology. 1990(1Mar):AnestimatedonemillionpeopletaketothestreetsinprotestoftheIndian occupationandmorethan40peoplearekilledbythepolice.Thisisseenbymanyasthebeginning ofamassiveKashmiriuprising,butIndiaclaimsthatitisorchestratedbyPakistanitrained operatives.Manyofthe162,500HinducommunityinKashmirfleetheareatorefugeecampsin Jammu. 1990:Anestimated34,000peoplehavebeenkilledsince1978. Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference 1998:IndiaandPakistanperformnucleartestsinashowofstrength. 1999:IndianandPakistanimilitariesclashinKargil,Indialaunchesair-strikesinKashmir. 1999:GeneralMusharrafleadsamilitarycoupinPakistan. 2000(Nov):IndiaputsaceasefireintoeffectinKashmir.However,violencecontinues. 2001(Oct):KashmiriassemblyinSrinagarattackedand38peoplearekilled. 2001(Dec):AttackonIndianparliamentinNewDehli.ThemilitantgroupsLashkar-e-Taibaand Jaish-e-Mohammedtakeresponsibility. 2003:IndiaandPakistanrestorediplomaticties. 2004(24Sep):PrimeMinisterSinghandPresidentMusharrafmeetinNewYorkduringUNGeneral Assemblyforfirstroundofpeacetalks. 2006:SecondroundofIndo-Pakistanpeacetalks. 2007:AmnestyInternationalandotherhumanrightsorganisationsreportofgrosshumanrights violationsfromIndiathatincludesystematicarrestsanddetentions,enforcedcurfews,and testimoniesofrapeandtorture.Indiadeniesmanyoftheseclaimsandstatesitissuppressing terrorism. 2008(Aug):Thebeginningoftheseconduprisingbylocalgroupsandyouthswhichleadstomassive redeploymentofIndiansecurityforces. 2009(Oct):OICappointsspecialenvoyforJammuandKashmir,flaringtension. 2010(Aug):Tensofthousandsofpeoplestagestreetdemonstrationsagainstthedeathsoftwo youngmendetainedinIndiancustody. 2010(Sep):TheIndiangovernmenthasclaimeditwillreleasehundredsofstudentsandyoung peopleaftermonthsofcivilunrestthathasleftatleast107peopledead. 2011(Aug):ChiefMinisterOmarAbdullahannouncesanamnestyforthe1,200youngmenwho threwstonesatsecurityforcesduringtheanti-governmentprotestsintheKashmirValleythe previousyear. Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference 2011(LateAug):IndianStateHumanRightsCommissionconfirmspresenceofmorethan2,000 unidentifiedbodiesinunmarkedgravesneartheLineofControl.Activistssaymanymaybepeople whodisappearedafterbeingarrestedbysecurityforces. 2011(Sept):IndianforceskillthreePakistanisoldiersinfiringacrosstheLineofControl.India accusesPakistanofopeningfirefirst. 2013(Feb):KashmiriJaish-e-MohammedmemberMohammadAfzalGuruhangedoverrolein2001 Indianparliamentterrorattack,promptingprotestsinwhichtwoyoungmenarekilled. 2013(Sept):PrimeministersofIndiaandPakistanmeetandagreetotryreducethenumberof violentincidentsattheirdisputedborderinKashmir. 2014(Aug):IndiacancelstalkswithPakistanafteraccusingitofinterferinginIndia'sinternalaffairs. ThedecisioncomesafterPakistan'sHighCommissionerinDelhiconsultedKashmiriseparatist leadersinadvanceofthetalks. 2014(Aug):DuringavisittothedisputedborderstateofJammuandKashmir,India'sPrime MinisterNarendraModiaccusesPakistanofwagingaproxywaragainstIndiainKashmir. 2014(Oct):PakistanandIndiaexchangestrongly-wordedwarnings,afteraflare-upofviolence acrosstheircommonborderleavesatleast18peopledead. 2015(Mar):India'srulingBJPpartyisswornintogovernmentinIndian-administeredKashmirfor firsttimeincoalitionwithlocalPeople'sDemocraticParty,withthelatter'sMuftiMohammad Sayeedaschiefminister. 2015(Sept):MuslimseparatistleadersinIndian-administeredKashmircloseshops,businessesand governmentdepartmentsinprotestattheenforcementofacolonial-erabanoneatingbeef. 2015(Nov):OnepersondiesinviolentprotestsfollowingavisittoIndian-administeredKashmirby PrimeMinisterNarendraModi. 2016(Jan):ChiefMinisterMuftiMohammadSayeeddies. Asadaptedfromhttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-16069078and https://www.insightonconflict.org/conflicts/kashmir/conflict-profile/conflict-timeline/ Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference Resources http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv3/topic/?t_id=11171&ref=4392&lan=en (fromMay12,2016,OICinPakistanaboutKashmir) UniversityofGeorgiaMUN(WordDoc) ~Relatedresourcesanddiscussionquestions http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/the-oic-and-india-signals-of-a-rethink/article3246619.ece ~India’sinabilitytoachievestatusbecauseofadisputewithanOICmember http://www.mei.edu/content/philippines-elusive-quest-organization-islamic-conference-oic-observer-status ~exampleofthePhilippines’inabilitytogainobserverstatus(mentionofIndiaunder thirdpoint) http://www.khaleejtimes.com/article/20091009/ARTICLE/310099941/1098 ~WhynotIndiainOIC?(articlefrom2009) http://www.arabnews.com/node/328857 ~Newsarticlefrom2009aboutendingIndia’sisolationinOIC http://www.gatewayhouse.in/india-and-the-oic-to-join-or-not-to-join/ ~ArticlefromIndiannewspaperonwhetherIndiashouldorshouldnotjoinOIC http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/13th-oic-summit-in-turkey-india-objects-as-oic-supports-jk-plebiscite-2755721/ ~2016articleaboutKashmirdisputeandeffectsinOICfromIndia’sresponse http://www.bbc.com/news/10537286 ~BackgroundfromBBConKashmirDispute http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/m/en/topic/?t_id=11171&t_ref=4392&lan=en ~OICdelegationtoKashmirandJammu http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unmogip/documents.shtml ~PertinentdocumentsforKashmirconflict/UNMOGIP http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unmogip/facts.shtml ~UNMOGIPfactsandfigures,plusbackgroundandotherdocuments-officialwebsite http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unmogip/background.shtml ~BackgroundofUNMOGIP http://www.oic-oci.org/is11/english/charter-en.pdf ~OICCharter(asof2008=11thsummit) http://www.oic-oci.org/36cfm/w/en/res/36CFM-POL-RES-FINAL.pdf Canisius College Model United Nations 38th Annual Conference ~2009politicalresolutionsofOICaboutIndia-PakistandisputeandKashmir http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv3/subweb/cfm/42/en/42cfm_res_pol_r2_en.pdf ~2015politicalresolutionsofOICaboutIndia,Pakistan,Kashmir http://ieer.org/resource/south-asia/short-history-of-kashmir-dispute/ ~ShorthistoryofKashmirdisputefromthirdparty,butupdatedonlyuntil2012 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_conflict ~Kashmirconflict(seeresourcesatbottomofpageforfurtherreading) http://www.dawn.com/news/1159577 ~2015Saudiking’sdeath,Indiaresponse http://www.associationdiplomats.org/Publications/ifaj/Vol1/1.2/1.2%20-%20Oral%20History%20-%20India%20at%20the%20Rabat%20Islamic%20Summit%20-%20GSingh.pdf ~IndianForeignAffairsJournal,Indiaandthe1969Rabatconference http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Census-2011-Assam-records-highest-rise-in-Muslim-population/articleshow/45972566.cms ~2011CensusdataaboutreligionandMuslimpopulation
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