UNITED NATIONS MILITARY OBSERVER GROUPIN INDIA AND PAKISTANLOCATION: The cease-fire line between India and Pakistan in the State of Jammu and KashmirHEADQUARTERS: Rawalpindi (November-April); Srinagar (May-October) DURATION: January 1949 to present STRENGTH: 39 military observers FATALITIES: 6 CHIEF MILITARY OBSERVER: Major-General Ricardo Jorge Galarza-Chans (Uruguay)1/ BACKGROUND For nearly four decades, the United Nations has been concerned with the conflict between India and Pakistan over the status of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. In August 1947, India and Pakistan became independent. Under the scheme of partition provided by the Indian Independence Act of 1947, Kashmir was free to accede to India or Pakistan. Its accession to India became a matter of dispute between the two countries and fighting broke out later that year. The question first came before the Security Council in January 1948, when India complained that tribesmen and others, with Pakistan's support and participation, were invading Kashmir and extensive fighting was taking place. Pakistan denied the charges and declared that Kashmir's accession to India was illegal. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNMOGIP On 20 January, the Security Council adopted resolution 39 (1948) establishing a three-member United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) to investigate and mediate the dispute. On 21 April 1948, by its resolution 47 (1948), the Council decided to enlarge the membership of UNCIP and recommended various measures, including the use of observers, to stop the fighting. The cease-fire between India and Pakistan came into effect on 1 January 1949, and a first group of UN military observers arrived in the area on 24 January. On 18 July 1949, India and Pakistan signed the Karachi Agreement establishing a cease-fire line to be supervised by the observers. These observers formed the nucleus of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). UNMOGIP'S ACTIVITIES Following the termination of UNCIP, the Security Council, by its resolution 91 (1951) of 30 March 1951, decided that UNMOGIP should continue to supervise the cease-fire in Kashmir. Since that time, UNMOGIP has functioned as an autonomous operation, directed by the Chief Military Observer. UNMOGIP's functions were to observe and report, investigate complaints of cease-fire violations and submit its findings to each party and to the Secretary-General. In early August 1965, hostilities again broke out on a large scale along the cease-fire line in Kashmir, and eventually spread to the international border between India and West Pakistan. The Security Council called for a cease-fire and a withdrawal of all armed personnel to the positions held before the hostilities began. In Kashmir, the supervision called for by the Council was exercised by UNMOGIP. In addition, since the hostilities extended beyond the Kashmir cease-fire line, the Secretary-General established an administrative adjunct of UNMOGIP, the United Nations India-Pakistan Observation Mission (UNIPOM), as a temporary measure for the sole purpose of supervising the cease-fire along the India-Pakistan border outside the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Following the withdrawal of troops in February 1966, UNMOGIP reverted to its original task, while UNIPOM was terminated. At the end of 1971, full-scale hostilities again broke out between India and Pakistan. By the time fighting had ended and a cease-fire had gone into effect, a number of positions on both sides of the 1949 cease-fire line had changed hands. In July 1972, India and Pakistan signed an agreement defining a Line of Control in Kashmir which, with minor deviations, followed the same course as the cease-fire line established by the Karachi Agreement of 1949. India took the position that the mandate of UNMOGIP had lapsed, since it had related specifically to the cease-fire line under the Karachi Agreement and did not extend to the actual line of control that had come into existence in December 1971. Pakistan, however, did not accept this position. PRESENT SITUATION Given the disagreement between the two parties about UNMOGIP's mandate and functions, the Secretary- General's position has been that UNMOGIP can be terminated only by a decision of the Security Council. In the absence of such a decision, UNMOGIP has been maintained with the same administrative arrangements. Its task is to observe, to the extent possible, developments pertaining to the strict observance of the cease-fire of 17 December 1971 and to report thereon to the Secretary-General. The military authorities of Pakistan have continued to lodge with UNMOGIP complaints about cease-fire violations. The military authorities of India have lodged no complaints since January 1972 and have restricted the activities of the United Nations observers on the Indian side of the Line of Control. They have, however, continued to provide accommodation, transport and other facilities to UNMOGIP. The Observer Group's headquarters alternates between Srinagar in summer (mid-May to mid-November) and Rawalpindi in winter. An operational staff office is maintained in one of those two cities when it is not hosting the headquarters. The supervision of the cease-fire in the field is carried out by a number of field observation teams stationed on both sides of the Line of Control and also along the border between Pakistan and Kashmir. COMPOSITION The strength of UNMOGIP is 39 military observers from eight countries (figures valid as at 30 November 1994): COUNTRY, OBSERVERS
Figures may vary from month to month due to rotation. FINANCIAL ASPECTS Since its establishment in 1949, UNMOGIP has been financed from the regular budget of the United Nations. Its costs are therefore assessed as part of each biennial programme budget. The rough cost of the operation in 1994 was approximately $7.2 million. NOTE 1/ In December 1994, General Galarza-Chans is to be succeeded by Major-General Alfonso Pessolano (Italy). Return to Text Note: Data effective 30 November 1994
Click "Back" button to return to previous page |