ABSTRACT

No other issue has influenced the India–Pakistan relationship more adversely than the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. To understand the discourse surrounding the dispute, and how it has evolved within the foreign policies of both countries, this research undertakes a critical discourse analysis of both countries’ official statements at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) between 1948 and 2020. The findings of this study are crucial to not only understanding how the two states have been internationalizing the Kashmir dispute but also what lessons can be learned from the past as both countries attempt to slowly reengage with one another. Our analysis points to the fact that both India and Pakistan’s stances on the Kashmir dispute, despite their varying phases throughout the conflict, have essentially remained the same. We argue that, despite seeming to have converged toward some form of resolution during the first decade of the twenty-first century, the current context of India–Pakistan relations presents a worsening trajectory that has not been witnessed since their last major war in 1971. In highlighting the cyclical, almost scripted nature of this debate, this paper attempts to suggest ways to break free from age-old tropes and help pave the way toward more meaningful ways to redefine the issue in light of a radically altered geo-political context.

摘要

没有其他问题比查谟和克什米尔争端对印巴关系的影响更不利。为了解围绕争端的讨论及其在两国外交政策中的演变，本研究对两国在 1948 年至 2020 年期间在联合国大会 (UNGA) 上的官方声明进行了批判性话语分析。研究结果这项研究不仅对于了解两国如何将克什米尔争端国际化，而且对于在两国试图慢慢重新接触时可以从过去吸取哪些教训至关重要。我们的分析指出，印度和巴基斯坦在克什米尔争端上的立场，尽管在整个冲突中处于不同阶段，但基本上保持不变。我们认为，