Islamabad anger and embarrassment is understandable. Rawalpindi’s ill-considered decision to invest in the Afghan Taliban as a means to fulfill its ambition of creating “strategic depth” in Afghanistan by orchestrating placement of a pliable regime in Kabul as a buffer against India has backfired. And Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s recent visit to New Delhi and his anti-Pakistan statements only added insult to Islamabad’s wounds.

 While reacting to the joint statement issued during this visit, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry mentioned that “It was conveyed that the reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is in clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir.” Though a oft repeated argument, Islamabad’s full of sound and fury statement merits a closer examination to ascertain the accuracy of the assertions contained therein.

Pakistan’s case on Kashmir is based on two arguments- one, J&K is “disputed territory”, and two, a plebiscite as envisaged in UNSC resolution 47 needs to be held in order to ascertain the wishes of the Kashmiri people and determine whether they want to remain with India or become part of Pakistan.  While it may assert that its stance on Kashmir is principled and in keeping with UNSC resolutions, the reality is that Islamabad’s Kashmir narrative is a mix of half-truths and selective interpretation of UN resolutions.

Pakistan’s failure to garner support of the international community for its Kashmir narrative for more than seven-and-a half decades despite raising this issue on every conceivable occasion clearly indicates the inherent deficiency of compelling reasons in the same. So, let’s first examine Pakistan’s repetitive claim of J&K being “disputed territory” and thereafter the issue of plebiscite in J&K.

A piece of real estate becomes disputed when its ownership is uncertain. The erstwhile ruler of J&K signed the Instrument of Accession in favour of India and being a legal document it made this kingdom an integral part of India. The fact that legality of J&K’s accession to India has........

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