What is the plebiscite?
In 1948, The U.N. passed a resolution calling for Kashmiris to determine their governance. This referendum has never been held, because it is not clear of its details or its legitimacy. Pakistan feels that the referendum be held in Indian part of Kashmir asking the people whether they’d like to affiliate with India or Pakistan. Some in India feel that the referendum should include whole of Kashmir, including the Pakistan occupied Kashmir, and a third option, for creation of a nation of Kashmir be provided on the ballot. While people determining to which nation they should belong seems like a legitimate solution, it certainly is not a fair one. Imagine what would have happened if Abraham Lincoln went in for a referendum in the South instead of the war — the South most certainly would have seceded. Another instance is Bosnia, where a referendum on independence, which was massively boycotted by the Bosnian Serbs who made up about 35% of the population in 1992, made civil war inevitable.
