LONDON -- The last dispute left from the end of the British Empire -- the Kashmir question -- may finally be en route to resolution. The unilateral cease- fire declared by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in November along the de facto border, the Line of Control (LOC), and then seconded by India, has held firm. At the same time, Pakistan has responded positively to Indian proposals to begin bus service between Muzzarafabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir (Pakistani territory) and Srinigar. Talks are under way, and both sides seem to be looking at how to really make something happen rather than simply score political points.

This question has been with us since 1947, when a dithering Hindu prince waited until armed Pakistani tribesmen tried to force him to abandon his capital, Srinigar, and sign away his majority Muslim population to India as Indian troops flew in to protect their legacy. What has been missing until now is an answer.

In 1947, India called on the U.N. Security Council to intervene. A ceasefire was brokered that left a third of the population occupying a rather small sliver of territory under Pakistani pupilage and the remainder under temporary Indian administration pending the outcome of a Kashmir-wide plebiscite. Three generations later we're still waiting for a resolution. The long half-century has seen standoff as well as futile negotiation, punctuated by equally futile wars.