On 27 July 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement brought about a complete cessation of hostilities following three long years of war on the Korean Peninsula. The armistice agreement was signed between the Western alliance led by the United States—under the umbrella of a United Nations resolution, called the UN Command, which supported present-day Republic of Korea—and the Communist alliance of North Korea and China (known as the Korean People’s Army and Chinese People’s Volunteers, respectively) with support from the erstwhile Soviet Union.
The agreement was signed in the truce village of Panmunjom.
In his detailed researched paper, called ‘Between the Blocs: India, the United Nations, and Ending the Korean War’, published in The Journal of Korean Studies, Robert Barnes, a British historian, talks about the “much overlooked but significant role” India played in bringing the Korean War to an end. In his paper, the focus is predominantly on Jawaharlal Nehru, but he also talks about the role India’s diplomats played in crafting and executing a campaign of bringing peace. It begins with BN Rau, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. They played an active role in bringing together all stakeholders on board as a UN Cease-fire Committee member in 1950/51.
The committee was to lay the principles of “an immediate cease-fire followed by the staged withdrawal of all armed forces from Korea; the creation of a political machinery whereby the Korean people could express themselves freely on their future; and affirmation that the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and China would seek a peaceful settlement of all outstanding East Asian issues after the cessation of hostilities,” writes Barnes.
However, Rau’s efforts didn’t go very far with the United Nations eventually branding the People’s Republic of China as an aggressor and enacting sanctions against them. Other diplomats who played a critical role was KM Pannikar, Indian Ambassador to China, through whom Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai articulated his position to both the United States and the UN since at the time the People’s Republic of China wasn’t a member of the global body.
But in the autumn of 1952, when tensions between the UN Command and the Communist bloc grew further, VK Krishna Menon, the former Indian High Commissioner to Britain, and Nehru’s close confidante, who organised India’s efforts on the world stage. Disliked by both the Soviets and the Americans, Menon represented Nehru’s views on Korea, according to Barnes. Still, the Indian delegation at the UN General Assembly was officially led by Vijaylakshmi Pandit, the Indian Ambassador to the United States.
Read More at https://www.thebetterindia.com/249384/korean-war-armistice-agreement-general-thimayya-sp-thorat-vk-krishna-menon-nehru-india-peace-role-history-nor41
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