--- On Thu, 8/21/08, Bonobashi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Isn't this then a lovely opportunity to suggest that the > plebiscite take place simultaneously all over the earlier > administrative areas of Kashmir? That should set a nose or > two out of joint! Of course, we run the risk of learning > that they, too, want to stay away. Tough. >
The 'earlier adminstrative areas' of Kashmir would include areas now under the control of Pakistan and China. It is interesting: the popular consensus is that India should conduct a plebiscite. I happen to agree. It's also interesting though, that no one expects either Pakistan and China to conduct a plebiscite in the areas of Kashmir contolled by them, which they essentially gained control of through military means. So - either - we assume that the people in those areas are perfectly satisfied with their current regimes or - if they are not satisfied, and also want independence as a seperate Kashmiri nation, their opinions and tights don't matter as much as the opinions of those in the Valley. Curious, no? No one believes that either China or Pakistan would consent to a plebiscite, any more than they would consent to holding one in Tibet or the North West Frontier province. None of this changes my opinion that India should conduct a plebiscite, at least in the Valley. Should the denizens of the Valley indeed opt for independence from both India and Pakistan though, it would be immensely difficult for the new nation, land-locked as it is, and completely snow-bound in winter, to survive without substantial support (read: subsidies) from its larger neighbours. cheers, Divya
