In [Part-II](https://www.reddit.com/r/jammu/comments/1u57gwx/partii_of_empire_accession_jammu_and_kashmir/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button), we saw how Krishan Dev Sethi connected the Tribal Invasion, accession, the Dixon Plan, and the political movements that emerged in Jammu & Kashmir.

Part III looks at another question raised by Sethi: how did the idea of an **"independent Kashmir"** begin gaining attention both inside the State and internationally?

Sethi points to a series of incidents which, in his view, showed a gradual rise in support for the idea of an independent Kashmir.

He begins with **1949**.

According to Sethi, **Sheikh Abdullah** had reportedly stated that it would be in the best interests of the Kashmir Valley to remain independent. Sethi says this statement was important because it suggested a political direction different from the options that were being discussed at the time.

He says that those who opposed this idea immediately saw it as a serious political issue and raised it on the floor of the Assembly. In their view, the proposal of an independent Kashmir was not just a theoretical discussion but something that could have major political consequences.

Sethi then moves to Sheikh Abdullah's visit to the **Security Council.**

During that visit, Sheikh Abdullah is said to have met the Yugoslav representative, **Aneš Bebler**. According to Sethi, Bebler reportedly told Sheikh Abdullah that his idea of an independent Kashmir was entirely correct. Sethi says that reports of this conversation later appeared in newspapers, bringing the discussion into the public domain and increasing interest in the subject.

The narrative then shifts to **1950–51**.

Sethi says that when American diplomat **Chester Bowles** visited Kashmir, he held several meetings and discussions with Sheikh Abdullah. What Sethi finds significant is what happened afterwards. A report appeared in the Italian newspaper Avanti claiming that Bowles had made efforts aimed at securing an independent status for Kashmir. For Sethi, the publication of such a report in an international newspaper showed that the idea was attracting attention beyond the State itself.

He also refers to the Christian Science Monitor.

According to Sethi, a representative of the newspaper interviewed Sheikh Abdullah and also appeared to favour the idea of an independent Kashmir. He presents this as another example of the proposal receiving support in influential international media circles.

Sethi then comes to July 1953.

He says that on 5 July 1953, the New York Times published the Dixon Proposal, and on 6 July the newspaper reportedly came out in support of it. By connecting these events together, Sethi argues that there was a continuing pattern in which the idea of an independent Kashmir, or proposals associated with it, was receiving publicity and endorsement through international channels.

According to Sethi, these incidents formed a connected chain.

He links Sheikh Abdullah's reported statement in 1949, the meeting with Aneš Bebler, the reports in Avanti, the discussions involving Chester Bowles, the Christian Science Monitor interview, and the publication of the Dixon Proposal in the New York Times.

For Sethi, all of these developments pointed toward a growing international interest in the idea of an independent Kashmir.

Whether one agrees with his interpretation or not, his speech provides an important insight into how some political leaders in Jammu & Kashmir viewed the events leading up to 1953.

In Part IV, we will look at how Sethi connected these developments to foreign influence, the Delhi Agreement period, and the political crisis that followed in 1953.

on [duggapedia](https://duggarpedia.blogspot.com/2026/04/empire-partition-and-kashmir-reading.html) you can go much deeper. All upcoming parts will be first updated on website.

image-1: Sheikh Abdullah (left) with DP Dhar(centre) at the UN, 1948.

Source:jammukashmirarchives

image-2: Aneš Bebler a Yugoslav diplomat and a political Commissar.

Source:jammukashmirarchives

Part-III of Empire, Accession & Jammu and Kashmir: The Rise of the Independent Kashmir Idea