> Three questions:
Michael McIntyre has adequately answered these questions. I would like to add to his response.
> (1) What do the majority of people in Kashimir want? What political
> settlement do they desire at this point in history?
Jammu (Hindu majority) and Ladakh (Buddhist majority) will stay in India. Kashmir Valley (Muslim Majority) does not want to join Pakistan. Kashmir could be nominally independent, but would be taken over by Pakistan sooner or later. There is also the question of people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir and their aspirations. We don't really know what they want.
> (2) What are positions on Kashmir held by those to the left of the
> Congress Party in India?
Indian Left favours autonomy for Kashmir. But the Left is weak. There is no chance that the Left will win national elections. The Left may have to take positions on Tibet and Xinjiang in future. The Left has a long history of supporting every twist and turn in the Comintern/fSU/Chinese policy. The Left supported the Soviet interventions in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan. The Left supported the Tienanmen massacre. The Left has nothing to say about autonomy for Tibet. It is difficult to support independence for Kashmir without a) encouraging similiar demands in other parts of India and b) supporting self determination in India's neighbourhood.
>(3) Are (1) and (2) compatible? If so, how do we achieve the shared
> objective? If (1) and (2) are incompatible, what is to be done?
We would need to know what Kashmiris want. What they want today is not necesarily what they may want tomorrow. Will they even be allowed allowed to decide for themselves? Kabul is barely 250 miles from Srinagar. 90% of the leadership and 70-80% of cadres of Taliban/Bin Laden combine have taken shelter in the areas close to the Kashmir valley, largely in Pakistan. An independent Kashmir might become in reality a Talibanised Kashmir or a US Protectorate. Kashmir valley is landlocked, surrounded by mountains with about 7 million people and depends on tourism for livelihood. Independent Kashmir is a phantasy, even if they want it at this point of time. If India and China are a semi-colonies, the question of Kashmiri independence is surely not relevant !
Ulhas