Now, the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s recent visit to the region including India and Pakistan has rekindled a cautious hope for many stake holders. His statement in New Delhi about Kashmir that the issue should be resolved peacefully and according to the “wills” of the people of the divided state echoes the most often repeated demand of the resisting leadership as also of most people adversely affected by the unresolved status of the territory.
Moon struck a cord with a political sentiment that has gone through extreme highs and lows during the past six decades since the issue went to UN. Moon is much closer to the heart of Kashmir today than his many predecessors at the top of the UN. However, the politicized Kashmiri and the resistance leadership is waiting with caution for the Kashmir issue to be debated in the UN for the first time after many years.
Depending on the outcome, Moon will be seen as that head of the world body who may trigger a change in the course of efforts made to resolve the Kashmir issue. In any case, he has so far been seen inside Kashmir as someone like his many predecessors who did nothing to shatter the silence over Kashmir at the UN. But after his statement in New Delhi regarding the Kashmir issue Moon is being seen inside Kashmir as someone who respects the wishes of the people. At the same time Moon can only be an agent for catalysis to release ‘paralysis’ on discussing Kashmir at a multi-lateral level.
While there has been no significant statement from the officials in the Government of India, Pakistan has made it clear that Islamabad would not be happy at anything less that a re-energisation of the many UN resolutions passed since 1948-49 on Kashmir when New Delhi took the issue to the world body. Thus far, India has been seen as backtracking on the commitments New Delhi had made to the people of Kashmir and the international community, at least inside Kashmir and Pakistan. If Moon can break the stasis around the Kashmir issue he will go a long way in restoring the faith of the people of Kashmir in the UN system and effective deliverance of its mandate on Kashmir.
