By Natalie Boyle
The Advisory Panel on the Question of Kashmir was surprisingly quiet Thursday morning as the advisors started debating the issues of terrorism and military reduction. There were no bombs being dropped, no heated debates, virtually nothing. On three separate occasions the chairs had to ask for someone, anyone, to take the floor. During the debate of the third clause which asked China, India, and Pakistan to sit down together and talk about the reduction of weapons in the region available for terrorist use, debate time was set for twenty minutes. The clause passed in five minutes with eleven for, one against, and four abstentions. Three amendments were proposed on the first two clauses debated, and when applause broke out when the third clause passed, Kelvin Kwok, Deputy President of the APQK, dryly said, “We will not clap for amendments.” As you can guess, Thursday morning was nothing stellar, but as Chair Hwa Young Jin stated during one of those long awkward pauses, it was morning, and everyone was tired. This near monotone did not continue because eventually, people did wake up, twenty minutes later around eleven o’clock. There was suddenly a flurry of several strong speeches. The JKLF Advisor Alex Yuan, called the conflict between India and Pakistan a “convoluted issue” and stated that complete disarmament of the region was asking for a “leap into two futures” during quite an impassioned, impromptu speech.But the debate sank yet again and when asked by the chairs why they felt suddenly exhausted, the delegates stated that they found it difficult to debate the clauses without a hard copy. After reassurances that they would get them tomorrow, a little furniture rearrangement, and a ten minute break to lobby, debate continued on a stronger note. Even the blackout did not phase these now alert advisors; the main concern was that the air conditioner would go off. While progress in this forum is not consistent, the APQK will continue to work towards a feasible solution to this contentious issue.
The Advisory Panel on the Question of Kashmir was surprisingly quiet Thursday morning as the advisors started debating the issues of terrorism and military reduction. There were no bombs being dropped, no heated debates, virtually nothing. On three separate occasions the chairs had to ask for someone, anyone, to take the floor. During the debate of the third clause which asked China, India, and Pakistan to sit down together and talk about the reduction of weapons in the region available for terrorist use, debate time was set for twenty minutes. The clause passed in five minutes with eleven for, one against, and four abstentions. Three amendments were proposed on the first two clauses debated, and when applause broke out when the third clause passed, Kelvin Kwok, Deputy President of the APQK, dryly said, “We will not clap for amendments.” As you can guess, Thursday morning was nothing stellar, but as Chair Hwa Young Jin stated during one of those long awkward pauses, it was morning, and everyone was tired. This near monotone did not continue because eventually, people did wake up, twenty minutes later around eleven o’clock. There was suddenly a flurry of several strong speeches. The JKLF Advisor Alex Yuan, called the conflict between India and Pakistan a “convoluted issue” and stated that complete disarmament of the region was asking for a “leap into two futures” during quite an impassioned, impromptu speech.But the debate sank yet again and when asked by the chairs why they felt suddenly exhausted, the delegates stated that they found it difficult to debate the clauses without a hard copy. After reassurances that they would get them tomorrow, a little furniture rearrangement, and a ten minute break to lobby, debate continued on a stronger note. Even the blackout did not phase these now alert advisors; the main concern was that the air conditioner would go off. While progress in this forum is not consistent, the APQK will continue to work towards a feasible solution to this contentious issue.
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