Pak must end terror, India must grant autonomy

After the destruction of the Taliban and the end of the US war effort, the vexed question of Kashmir persists. Will Pakistan finally abandon its quest to wrest Kashmir from India through the use of force? Will India be willing to settle the dispute by legally ceding the portions of Kashmir under Pakistan and Chinese control? Will Pakistan accept such a dispensation? Finally, will the vast majority of the Kashmiris in Indian-controlled Kashmir settle for a substantial degree of autonomy under the aegis of the Indian constitutional framework? The answers to these questions will depend in large measure on the evolution of US policy toward India and Pakistan.As a result of the events of September 11, the United States is in a unique position to forge a durable peace on the subcontinent. Whether it chooses to do so largely hinges on its willingness to muster the resources to achieve such an end. As a consequence of its deep involvement with Pakistan in prosecuting the war against the Taliban, the United States has acquired unprecedented leverage over Pakistan. The latter's feckless support to various terrorist organizations is now under acute scrutiny as the United States pours resources into Pakistan's depleted exchequer. Consequently, the Bush administration, after having demolished the Taliban and Al Qaeda, could, if it chose to, induce Pakistan to end its support for terror in Kashmir. Radical groups and intransigent individuals within Pakistan will hardly welcome such an American initiative, but given the international mood since September 11 and their association with terror, whether in South Asia or elsewhere, they may have little choice. India too, will have to make some important concessions and undertake some difficult steps. To win a Pakistani abandonment of terror, the United States will have to press India to provide some accounting for the massive human rights abuses that have transpired during the Kashmiri insurgency. Furthermore, without addressing the human rights issue India cannot hope to win back the sympathies of the aggrieved Kashmiri population. The United States must also prod India to grant the Kashmiris the maximum degree of autonomy possible under its constitutional framework; otherwise the prospects of peace will be dim. This proposed solution will not meet the maximum goals of India, Pakistan, or some of the more unyielding of the Kashmiri insurgents. However, it offers some of the most politically viable prospect for the eventual settlement of this perennial conflict. Nonetheless, given the gulf that continues to separate the formal positions of the two sides, the long memories and myths of discord, the existence of powerful and implacable bureaucratic and political constituencies, and the fears of mutual exploitation, there is little likelihood of any breakthrough in bilateral relations in the near future. Any resolution of this conflict, deeply rooted in the self-images of both states and attenuated by each side's selective account of the historical record, will require patience, skill, and long-term commitment — attributes that have thus far been lacking in politicians and decision-makers on both sides of the border. The world will be anxious to see if these attributes will be in adequate supply in the months and years ahead. (Excerpt from Conflict Unending: India-Pakistan tensions since 1947 by Sumit Ganguly, Oxford University Press)