Concerning the self-determination of Kashmir, Mr. Chairman, the United Nations Resolution of 1948 stated that a referendum should be held of the people of Kashmir to decide whether they wish to be part of Pakistan or part of India . However, Mr. Chairman, the Resolution did not offer the option of an independent Kashmir . Interfaith International has always supported this third alternative, that is, an independent Kashmir , Mr. Chairman. The process of negotiation between Pakistan and India to determine the status of Kashmir since fifty-seven years has not solved the problem. Thus, the issue of self-determination for Kashmir is still relevant.

Some people say that Kashmir as an independent country cannot be economically self­ sufficient but this argument is not true. Under British rule and under the Maharajas prior to British rule, Kashmir survived very well -- in fact better than neighboring areas which now make up India and Pakistan .

The amount of funds spent by the occupying forces of India and Pakistan in Kashmir is becoming more and more irrelevant as better relations arise between the two countries. Why is such military expense necessary now ? The funds should better be spent for the welfare of the peoples in Pakistan and India .

More than twenty political parties inside Kashmir, both in the Indian-occupied and the Pakistani-occupied parts, have called for the independence of Kashmir and the retreat of external military forces. These political parties are presently asking for the possibility of a vote of the Kashmiri people towards self-determination. This does not, at the present time, please either the Pakistan or the Indian governments who prefer the status quo.

Many of these political parties calling for an independent Kashmir cannot today participate fully in the political process because Kashmir is divided into two parts each with its own political parties approved by the occupying powers. These acceptable parties approve either integration into Pakistan or integration into India , but they cannot, by their very nature, promote an independent Kashmir .