The All Jammu and Kashmir Plebiscite Front, or Plebiscite Front, was a political party in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of Jammu and Kashmir that called for a " popular plebiscite" to decide if the state should remain part of India, join

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

or become independent. The patron of the party was

Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah was the founding leader and President of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Confer ...

, the former

Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir is the title given to the head of government of Jammu and Kashmir. As per the Constitution of India, the lieutenant governor is the union territory's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority ...

and chief of the

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir union territory and Ladakh. Founded as the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by ...

, even though he never formally joined it. The founder of the party was

Mirza Afzal Beg Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg (3 February 192911 June 1982) was a Kashmiri politician who served as the first deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 1975 to 1977 and was a member of Constituent Assembly of India from 1946 to 1952. Beg held ...

Foundation

The Plebiscite Front was founded on 9 August 1955 by

, a senior leader of the National Conference and lieutenant of Sheikh Abdullah, and formally launched in 1958. This followed the 1953 ouster of Sheikh Abdullah from the post of Prime Minister and subsequent arrest by police. While Abdullah commanded the loyalty of its members and guided its politics, Afzal Beg remained the titular president of the Plebiscite Front.

Political stands

The Plebiscite Front became the principal opposition to the state government, headed by Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad (1953–63), Khwaja Shamsuddin (1963-64) and Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq (1964–71). The Front called for a plebiscite or referendum to be held under the auspices of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, to decide the issue of sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir. Sheikh Abdullah's demand for a plebiscite led to the boycotting of state elections in the 1960s by large numbers of the state's population. However, this enabled easy election victories for the National Conference, which was supported by the Union government and remained in power for most of the decade.

Indira-Sheikh accord

By 1972, the Plebiscite Front had come to the position that any plebiscite was not intended to contest Kashmir's accession to India. Afzal Beg stated that while a plebiscite would put Kashmir's accession into India on "a lasting foundation", his party was no longer insisting on holding a plebiscite. The Indian Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

welcomed the Front's willingness to confirm Indian sovereignty and held talks with Sheikh Abdullah. The 1974 Indira-Sheikh accord confirmed the support of Sheikh Abdullah and the Plebiscite Front for Indian sovereignty over Kashmir and ended the demand for a plebiscite in return for extensive autonomy and self-government under Article 370 of the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India, legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures ...

Dissolution

Following the agreement with the Union government, Sheikh Abdullah merged the Plebiscite Front into a renewed National Conference in 1975, which won the democratic elections and affirmed Abdullah as the new Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Mirza Afzal Beg became the Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

References

Bibliography