President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan made a new offer to India regarding the status of Kashmir, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for a treaty of peace and friendship with Pakistan. These developments, if successfully implemented, have the potential to strengthen relations between the two nuclear powers and lead to a resolution of the longstanding Kashmir dispute.
On January 25, Brookings hosted a panel discussion with Navnita Chadha Behera and other leading experts to discuss her book, Demystifying Kashmir (Brookings 2006) and its policy recommendations. Demystifying Kashmir offers a detailed examination of the history and present-day dynamics of the Jammu and Kashmir state. Behera discussed the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Singh and President Musharraf, the effect this meeting will have on the peace process, and the internal politics of Kashmir on both sides of the line of control. Participants included Thomas Pickering, former U.S. ambassador to India; Hasan Askari Rizvi, former visiting professor of Pakistan studies, Columbia University; and Ashley Tellis, senior associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.