Getting to Yes in the India-Pakistan Conflict: Addressing Indian concerns on a possible compromise with Pakistan (original) (raw)

The Kashmir Dispute: Key to South Asian Peace 1 The Kashmir Dispute: Key to South Asian Peace

Not only the future of Indo-Pak relations but prospects of peace in South Asia hinge on resolution of the Kashmir dispute. The seeds of the dispute were sown by the British and all efforts by Pakistan and international agencies have been frustrated by Indian intransigence which rejects arbitration and uses all diplomatic guiles to delay efforts towards a negotiated settlement. Pakistan policy has been consistent all along and achieve success in internationalizing the issue which India wishes to maintain as a bilateral tussle. The on-again off-again composite dialogue process together with backdoor diplomacy all seem to be getting nowhere. In such a situation out of the box strategies need to be tried towards which a beginning was made by general Musharraf resulting in some softening of communication between the two Kashmirs. Deep rooted distrust, differing security perceptions and chosen ideologies continue to mark all thresh approaches. The history of these trends and developments are discussed and the pros and cons of various approaches together with the China like strategy of putting problems on the back burner and pursuing CBMS are discussed with implications.

The search for peace-Pakistan and India

Strategic Studies (Islamabad)

It is axiomatic that Pakistan and India share a turbulent and complex, if also short, history. While the dynamics of the relationship may shift from time to time, numerous existential issues remain in place. Characterised by mistrust, contrasting interests and the oft-quoted "missed opportunities", the bloodshed of 1947 has been replaced by a more diverse set of issues that continue to mar the relationship. Kashmir has come to exemplify the classic case of a territorial dispute between neighbouring countries in the modern world composed of nation States. Extended hostile periods have only been sporadically separated by periods of relative peaceinterludes that many hoped would prolong into perpetuity. But failures of State, internal conflicts, deep-rooted differences and perhaps unavoidable circumstances have meant that these spells of tranquillity remain mere specks of light in an otherwise dark corridor, at best offering missed opportunities. In studying the Pakistan-India ties, it is simplistic but also convenient to divide them into phases with regard to important junctures in South Asian history. None of the occasions that gave rise to optimism could ultimately become the watershed they were built up to be. The most recent such case was in 2004; following a prolonged period of military standoff, there began a "peace process" led by President Musharraf and Prime Minister Vajpayee. This phase was significant since it allowed for a more systematic approach to negotiations by adopting the concept of "Composite Dialogue" that covered various issues that have continually hindered progress on even seemingly non-contentious fronts. A move away from a traditionally line of control-(LoC) and Kashmir-centric policy, it called for a number of concerns to be brought to the table and economic cooperation to be enhanced. 1 While the strategic imperatives and finer points of this process will be discussed later in this study, it is relevant to say here that even though progress was made on multiple fronts, enthusiasm waned as the momentum died out perhaps due to the more pressing internal political turmoil in Pakistan. However, the process did expose some important aspects of the relationship. One, it established that progressive talks and meaningful solutions were not just desirable, they were also possible. And two, it exhibited a lack of political will, or more suitably, the political constraints, in both countries that prevent agreeable solutions from being implemented. This was clear for instance in the case of the Sir Creek 2 and Siachin issues where significant progress through collaboration could not be translated into concrete agreements. Similarly, when a proposed visit to Islamabad by Prime Mister Manmohan Singh, as part of this process, could not materialise, 3 progress was further derailed.

Resolving Kashmir: imperatives and solutions

The Kashmir problem has existed for over sixty years, since the British colonial rulers left and the subcontinent was partitioned between Pakistan and India, yet the issue continues to be unresolved. The promised plebiscite for the people of Kashmir to decide their future was never held. Various complexities borne out of the continuation of the dispute and divergent claims and positions on the issue still demand urgent attention. For many years, India and Pakistan squared up to one another, testing nuclear arms, amassing troops on the border. But post-Cold War developments, in tandem with their regional implications and a recognition that security threats are changing, have created conditions for rethinking the India-Pakistan relationship and the 'problem' of Kashmir. Today, generally, the traditional preoccupation with national security is giving way to a new discourse of human security and hard borders are giving way to soft borders and development in terms of regional co-operation. on the economic front, China is challenging India and its regional support, whilst India's trade route westward is hampered by lack of access through Pakistan. And these developments, argues the author, could create space for readjusting relations and addressing the future of Kashmir and its people, thousands of whom have lost their lives as a result of the conflict. Since 1947, a variety of solutions from plebiscite and condominium status to a Northern Ireland-style Good Friday Agreement have been put forward, as yet to no avail. Frameworks prepared in the abstract cannot be applied to a complex problem like Kashmir. But there may be lessons to

Kashmir Issue: Perspectives of India, Pakistan and Kashmir with a Proposed Resolution

The Kashmir conflict is one of the most protracted and contentious disputes in modern history, originating from the partition of British India in 1947. It involves three key stakeholders: India, Pakistan, and the people of Jammu and Kashmir, each with distinct and often contradictory perspectives. For India, Kashmir is a symbol of national unity and territorial integrity. Pakistan views Kashmir as an unfinished agenda of partition, tied to its ideological foundation as a homeland for Muslims. Meanwhile, the Kashmiri people's aspirations range from independence to greater autonomy, with their voices often overshadowed by the geopolitical agendas of the two states. This paper examines the historical origins of the conflict, explores the nuanced perspectives of all stakeholders, and proposes actionable solutions rooted in dialogue, inclusivity, and human rights.

Kashmir Conflict: Tracing the History Suggesting the Solution

Asian Journal of Humanity, Art and Literature, 2014

Kashmir, once known for its mesmerizing beauty, peace and tolerance in the world, has now been seen as a bloody conflict zone, since 1989. Over the years, numbers of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) were taken by India and Pakistan, but all the initiatives fail to bring long-term peace in the region. This paper examines two questions: why Kashmiris chose to go for armed struggle against India and why peace building initiatives lead by India and Pakistan failed to bring long term peace in the region? The study will further try to analyze the interests of the different stakeholders in order to find a peaceful, acceptable, and achievable solution to the conflict region. On the basis of Stakeholder Analysis the paper argues that India and Pakistan need to go beyond existing nonengagement and occasional bilateral policy of negotiation to trilateral negotiation by engaging Kashmiri political leadership to get the win-win, peaceful resolution of the conflict. The absence of Kashmiris in any negotiation process will not bring long lasting solution to the region. Keywords: Kashmir conflict, India, Pakistan, Insurgency, Peace process

Changing Equations of India-Pakistan Relations: Unresolved Kashmir Dispute as a Decider Factor

Since the independence and violent partition of two South Asian countries India and Pakistan in 1947, relations between these two have been inflexible, conflictual, distrustful and very risky political stand off in global context in general and in South Asia particular. Moreover, both are closest and bordering neighbors with close literary, social and cultural bonds but remained at great distance from each other. It is doubtless that there are many reasons and factors behind such turbulence situations and unstabilized political environment but Kashmir issue remains the primary factor and problematic for the development of two nations. However, India and Pakistan have always been caught in enduring conflicts, but in recent time, there are certain changes took place due to the change in the leadership and misadventures/infiltration/proxy war in Kashmir valley as their relations seem to be bitterer than ever before which give the space to international organizations to intervene in their disputes and state of affairs. In such situation, Kashmir is being seen as decider factor to Indo-Pak relations. In such context, this paper is an attempt to touch various issues especially Kashmir dispute between these two nations including the understanding of changing nature of their relations for many years while highlighting the role of external powers which would contribute to the transitory nature of their dynamic relations to draw analytical inferences. It also tries to explore the future of Indo-Pak relations while examining attempts made in the direction to normalize their relations.

Contemplating Peace between India and Pakistan

Orbis, 2023

India-Pakistan relations are at an inflection point with India's dramatic revocation of Kashmir's autonomy and its desired objective to transform the nature of the Kashmir conflict from a "bilateral" (involving Pakistan) to a "unilateral" status (excluding Pakistan). Pakistan, on the other hand, has embarked on a diplomatic offensive making the case against India's majoritarian politics in Kashmir as detrimental not only to the Kashmiris but also to the strategic stability between the two rivals. This article reasons that India's and Pakistan's dominant zero-sum strategiespremised on winning while ensuring the other's loss-are least likely to come to fruition. Given the present nature of ties, the way forward is for the two states to engage in a minimalist framework where mutual interests, as opposed to dominant positions, are put forth as a basis for engagement. Second, engagement more than agreement should be the short-to mediumterm goal. Finally, any talk during this time on freezing the Kashmir conflict is least likely to bring any long-term dividends for peace and stability between the two regional adversaries.

Purposed Solution of Kashmir dispute

Maarif Research Jounral , 2015

Kashmir Dispute has been the bone of contention between the two neighboring countries; Pakistan and India. For a better understanding of the Kashmir issue, one must be well aware of the views of Pakistani and Indian governments regarding this dispute. After having a thorough understanding of the issue, this paper has tried to analyze the viewpoints of both governments. From the very beginning of the Kashmir Dispute up till now Kashmiri nation has been denied to participate in any form of negotiations for solving this decades long dispute. This research paper has tried to find out the view point of Kashmiri nation, as a strongest party to the Kashmir Problem. History about the Kashmir Conflict has been distorted so much that it has become enormously difficult for a common man to differentiate between the aggressor and the victim. This research paper tries to present a true and just picture of Kashmir Conflict by analyzing the viewpoints of all the three parties involved in this issue, namely Pakistan, India and Kashmiri people. This paper also analyses different prospects of settlement and the existing options to resolve Kashmir Dispute. This paper makes an attempt to formalize a peace process named “Slow but Steady Process” to rid the Kashmiri people of the perpetual miseries and atrocities that they have been facing since 1947; and to save the people of the world from the constant threat of nuclear disaster.

KASHMIR: A Conflict between India and Pakistan

ashish

Kashmir is the oldest and the most serious dispute between Pakistan and India. Various efforts at the bilateral and multilateral levels could not resolve this problem. The two countries have fought hot and cold wars which undermined their bilateral relations. India's efforts to strengthen its control of Kashmir by use of force have always been questioned by Pakistan that supports Kashmiri demand for right self determination under the UN Resolution of 1948-49. This paper analysis the origins of the Kashmir dispute, its influence on Indo-Pakistan relations, and the prospects for its resolution.

Resolving The Kashmir Dispute: "Enlightened Sovereignty" Can Be The Way Forward

Naya Daur, 2019

Conflict and cooperation are ontologically two central components of human organisation. From the Paleolithic period to modern times, human beings as well as the nation-states fight and also cooperate with each other all the time. Realism essentialise the former while cooperative components are central to neo-liberalism. The post-World War European political and diplomatic experiences might serve as a point of departure here. Nevertheless, when it comes to politics and foreign policy in South Asia, the realist approach seems to have dominated the political, and indeed military, thinking in the region that witnessed many wars; four between India and Pakistan, not counting the multiple stand-offs, continuing warfare in Afghanistan, and the civil wars in Nepal and Sri Lanka. Among the above-mentioned cases, the India-Pakistan case has assumed regional and global attention. At the heart of India-Pakistan relations lies the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). This issue has been approached, documented and analysed from a variety of perspectives and actors ranging from academics to the UN experts have attempted to do so. Academically, the literature produced can broadly be termed as pro-India, pro-Pakistan and pro-Kashmir. The pro-India work is essentially integrationist which make a case to annex princely states, including J&K, with reference to Greater India-which was partitioned by the British. Kashmir is thus termed as "atoot ang" of "Akhand Bharat". In the view of pro-India studies, Kashmir was constitutionally an integral part of the Indian Union under Article 370-which was revoked by Modi-led BJP on August 5, and an election was held to substitute the 'promised' plebiscite which is enchanted by the pro-Pakistan literature. The latter regards J&K as the unfinished agenda of partition.