Topic: India and Pakistan
Country: United States
Delegate Name: Tucker Marks
School: Forest Hills Central High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All United States position papers GLIMUN 2008 committees
The continued struggle between the nations of India and Pakistan remains one of the most important issues of the past century. Ever since India attained independence and was partitioned, the two resulting nations, India and Pakistan have been fighting over control of the Kashmir-Jammu region. This struggle has continued for far too long, and must be solved as soon as possible. The nuclear aspect of this conflict is perhaps the most troubling, and remains the primary reason that this conflict must be solved; a nuclear war between these two nations, however unlikely, would clearly be disastrous for the entire world. As the United States has learned from our proximity to nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, even a possible nuclear scenario is frightening for the entire world, but especially for the countries involved.
The United States of America believes that the only way to truly find a solution to this problem is to determine a solution acceptable to India, Pakistan, and the people of Kashmir. If all three do not agree to any solution the Security Council determines, then that solution will be ineffective, and the conflict will resume. Until such an agreement is reached, the only possible action would be to preserve the Line of Control the UN established in 1971, though this should not be made permanent, nor should any further action be taken, without the agreement of the three previously mentioned parties.
The nations of India and Pakistan have made great strides recently in this area. On October 21, 2008, a trade route was reopened across the Line of Control that had been closed for sixty years, an important step in establishing peace in the region. Earlier, in 2005, a bus route was reopened across the Line of Control that had also been closed since the partition. Though setbacks have occurred since these events due to terrorist activity in the region, conditions are largely improving. India and Pakistan are currently in the midst of a series of bilateral talks to solve this conflict, and any attempt to interrupt them would be detrimental to any hope of solving this crisis. The United States wishes for these talks to continue in earnest, and hopes they can provide a solution to this problem.
The nuclear dimension to this crisis is frightening. Were the two countries to agree to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the situation would be easier to manage, but forcing both countries to agree could disrupt negotiations over Kashmir, as one country may be reluctant to sign if the other does not first, only serving to raise tensions in the region.
This conflict has continued for long enough, and now is the time for a solution. The United States is a firm believer that the only way to solve this crisis is to accept whatever India, Pakistan, and the people of Kashmir can agree to, as anything else would only inhibit progress in this critical area. The United States calls upon all nations to concur on this point: the success of a resolution regarding Kashmir is entirely dependent on the agreement of those three entities. We applaud China and other countries for their agreement on this all-important point. If we can accept an agreement between the previously mention three groups, we can solve one of the greatest crises of the past century.
