Canada's Role

When the Kashmir dispute erupted in 1947­1948, Canada, under the Liberal administration of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent (1948-57), championed the stand that the future status of Kashmir must be determined by the will of the people of the territory, and that their wishes must be ascertained through an impartial plebiscite under the supervision and control of the United Nations.

Canada was one of the principal sponsors of resolutions 47, 51, 80, 96, 98 and 122 on the India­Pakistan question. These resolutions were submitted jointly among others by Belgium, China, Colombia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Following the resolution, Canada and other leading members of the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan adhered to that position.

It was the distinguished Canadian, General Andrew McNaughton, who, as the president of the Security Council, sponsored the proposal for the basic formula for a settlement, and this formula was incorporated in the resolution adopted on 13th August 1948 and 5th January 1949.