Demographic Changes in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) and the Future of UN Resolutions

Abstract

Article 73 of the United Nations Charter interpreted the Indian Independence Act, which vocally discussed the disputed status of Kashmir territory. The UN passed significant resolutions of this dispute such as UNSCR-38, 39, 47, 51, 80, 91, 98, 122, and 1172 and urged India and Pakistan to discuss the issue bilaterally and resume the dialogues that were halted multiple times because of ongoing clashes between both states. The UN proposed these resolutions to conduct an impartial plebiscite but New Delhi didn’t cater to all these calls. Despite all, in 2019 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked Articles 370 and 35A and attempted to modify the demographical status of Kashmir. This research argued that this act only serves to perpetuate the vicious cycle and lawless politics. In an ideologically divided society, the identity-based enmity would further satisfy the Indian policy against the right of self-determination. This paper contends that India under the Modi government’s policies endeavors to reshape the demographic characteristics of Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir through spatial and temporal politics that will alter the nature of the Kashmir conflict. The study explores the future of UNSC resolutions and answers the questions under debate (a) are UNSC resolutions still relevant? (b) if not, then what will be the future of Kashmir? India transforming domestic politics is an appalling mark for the stability of Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir. This research will be deductive and qualitative, integrating historical and descriptive methods to examine and interpret data.