It is difficult to get excited about talk of peace in Kashmir. India and Pakistan, the two main parties to the conflict in that troubled region, have tried and abandoned a series of initiatives in recent years. Indeed, India refuses to involve Islamabad in any discussions, and this is despite the fact, however unpleasant to the government in Delhi, that Pakistan has a role to play in any settlement. Thus, there is resignation more than relief at reports that the two countries are once again trying to push a peace process forward.
An opening has been created by India's declaration on Nov. 28 of a unilateral ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan along the Line of Control that separates Jammu Kashmir, India's only predominantly Muslim state, and Pakistan's Kashmir. In response, Pakistan promised to practice maximum military restraint along the border. That alone is welcome: There are frequent exchanges of fire in the region. The Kashmir dispute has triggered two of the three wars that the two countries have fought in the last half century.
Earlier this week, India upped the ante by extending the ceasefire until Jan. 26. Pakistan responded by ordering the pullback of some of its military forces. Pakistan urged India to reciprocate and withdraw its forces from the LOC. Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said his government would take "exploratory steps" to relaunch the dialogue with Pakistan that has been stalled since 1998. Then, hopes for peace were dashed when rebels, supported by Pakistan, seized Indian territory in the region; it transpired that the raids were planned while the two governments were talking peace. Trust, essential to any serious dialogue, evaporated.