Crisis Over Kashmir, 1965

[Music] a story booked land immortalized in Legend and lore by Roger Kipling steeped in ancient ways and thrust into modern times an abundant land a productive land picture esque and diverse tense and troubled cashmir [Music] [Applause] 16009 ships of the British East India Company open up trade with India offering at first wealth then exchange for goods later it becomes ruled by force a dark chapter of blood and plunder when the the Indians fight back the British call it Mutiny the Indians call it a war for independence in 1858 the British government takes power from the East India Company and vice Roy rule in the name of the distant but all powerful Crown amid fantastic Pomp and Splendor in 1911 King George and Mary come to India to see and to be seen by their hundreds of millions of subjects England's might and Majesty seem secure but the shy son of an obscure Indian official will one day humble that Empire and set his people free his name mandis Gandhi shunning traditional family occupations ignoring parental objections he goes to London to study law as a Young attorney Gandhi settles in South Africa and takes up the cause of equal rights founding his concept of nonviolent action bore War he serves as the leader of a volunteer Indian ambulance [Music] Corps then accompanied by the wife he had married at 13 Gandhi returns to India he has given up Western dress renounced all worldly goods and he finds that his Fame has preceded him Indians expect a lion a giant of a man but they come to worship the tiny figure who dares to challenge an Empire and they believe him when he says inner Freedom will lead to Outer Freedom his campaign of non-cooperation becomes a campaign against foreign made cloth he urges all Indians to weed and the spinning wheel becomes a symbol of nonviolence in 1931 Gandhi begins his most daring experiment a 200m walk to the Sea it seems that all India is with him after 24 days with World attention focused on him he will dip his hands into the sea and pick up some salt left by the waves thus he breaks the British law which makes it a crime to possess salt not not bought from the British salt Monopoly then every villager on India's long Coast wads into the sea to collect salt salt says Gandhi is as essential as air and water and the salt of the earth and sea rightfully belong to India's people the battle for Independence cannot now be stopped as mandas Gandhi walks off serenely to jail thousands of Gandhi's disciples are imprisoned with him nonviolence says Gandhi requires more bravery than violence pit Neu Gandhi's Chief disciple is among those arrested by the British in the next 15 years as India struggles toward Independence Gandhi undertakes a series of fasts to protest against continued foreign rule to his followers he has become the Mahatma the Great Soul pandu emerges as the political leader of the Freedom Movement but Mahatma Gandhi is and remains until his death the spiritual head finally in 1947 Independence nears for India but foro there is a price he agrees to the partition of colonial India into two separate religious states Pakistan with 100 million Muslims is created as a counterpart to India with 300 million Hindus Gandhi calls the partition a disaster but the decision has been made and partition is now only a matter of details certain border provinces vote to determine their future status Muslims and Hindus bitter in their hatred of each other are now free free to turn hatred into [Music] violence August 15th 1947 Independence Day for India and Pakistan but Gandhi is not present why the celebration he asks I see only rivers of blood already the province of Kashmir is in dispute Pakistan the Shaded area and India lay claim to the territory which is roughly the size of [Music] Idaho India insists that Kashmir has been and must be an integral part of the Indian Nation pandu speaks more personally Kashmir is my ancestral home he says it is a piece of my heart Muhammad Ali Jenna Pakistan leader points out that 80% of kashmir's population is Muslim when the British begin their departure an era ends and an era begins prejudices and passions explode neighbor against neighbor Hindu against Muslim in an Unholy war that takes more than half a million lives Kashmir becomes a symbol of the an anguish and Agony of Independence when the United Nations security Council meets in Paris in 1948 India and Pakistan accuse each other of aggression in Kashmir after months of hearings and debate the council succeeds in drawing a Cee fire line that gives oneir of Kashmir to Pakistan and 2/3 to India it also orders a prite to determine the wishes of the people in the territory Pakistan agrees India does not and fighting continues in 16 years 20,000 people die in battles along the ceas fire line then in 1965 something new happens armed gorillas begin a campaign of attacks on Indian posts deep inside Kashmir the men after being captured are identified as pakistanis by a United Nations truth team they apparently have been trained armed and sent by the Pakistan government days helpless bewildered the victims of the new agression can only weep India responds to the Guerilla attacks by sending troops across the ceas fire line to seize three Pakistani outposts prime minister La bahad shastri tells his countrymen that the action has been taken to end once and for all infiltration and aggression by Pakistan [Music] the subcontinent Echoes and shutters to the sounds of a fullscale undeclared war down the mountain sides across the Frontiers from India into Pakistan from Pakistan into India come the fighting men of both Nations flames and smoke rising from the bombed out Villages and towns of Kashmir dot the once peaceful [Music] Countryside again refugees clogged the dirt roads of the troubled land fleeing with whatever Earthly possessions they can carry the innocent victims of ancient hatreds are a living reminder of the words that Mahatma Gandhi spoke on Independence Day I see only rivers of blood with this grave new threat to World Peace the United Nations Security Council is summoned into an emergency session in New York it is the 125th meeting on the recurring Kashmir question residing is America's new ambassador to the United Nations Arthur Goldberg who tells the delegates I regret that the first time I meet with you formally must be a time time of Crisis India was the first to destroy the at atmosphere of moderation which was s to be established between the two countries India offered gratitud provocation to Pakistan as much as to the United Nations when in December 1964 it proceeded to anex Kashmir so as to throt Forever the self-determination of the people of Kashmir the present hostility originated with large scale infiltrations of armed and unarmed Personnel from Pakistan and until the activities of such Personnel seized and until all such Personnel are withdrawn from the Indian side of the ceasefire line peace cannot be restored for which Pakistan must accept full responsibility we should in this Council act quickly we should speak with one voice we should make our call for an an end to conflict unanimous and unmistakable in doing so we shall be speaking with the true voice of the United Nations I now put to the vote the resolution and document air stroke 6662 those in favor will please raise their [Music] hand by a unanimous vote of Nations large and small the council asks for for an immediate ceasefire and settlement through negotiations directed by Secretary General uant the members of the counil have indicated by unanimously adopting the resolution that we welcome in particular the statement of our distinguished Secretary General in light of this resolution that he intends to proceed promp promptly to the subcontinent we hope we know that his Prestige his impartiality his fairness and the Dignity of his office may help bring this tragedy to a prompt close and point way towards establishment of an enduring peace between these two great countries we the members of the council indeed the people of the world ask for no more we expect no less in the search for a settlement in Kashmir hopefully A New Beginning has been made by Nations and Men of goodwi