
The representatives of our respective governments agreed on the need to respect the ceasefire and the necessity of jump-starting the peace talks that are currently stalled. In large part, crafting a bilateral peace between our two states is bedevilled by the multi-faceted conflicts that separate us, the majority stemming from Partition. None of these conflicts or disputes, be they Kashmir or Siachen or the fallout from the Mumbai attacks — is susceptible to a single solution. To a degree, all are interlocked, and then linked in terms of whether either side wishes to address them or not to the internal politics of the country. Today, at the top of the Pakistan political leadership, there is the will to seek positive change. It is uncertain as to what the mood-music will be on the Indian side after its election, but the need of the hour is to get the military on both sides into dialogue via the Directors General of Military Operations at an early date. Identifying confidence-building measures that have public and political cross-border support is of equal importance. Conflict is not an option for either party.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 15th, 2013.
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