ISLAMABAD -- The surprise upset in India's recent elections, which saw the Congress Party take power, is unlikely to change the positive course Indo-Pakistani relations have taken. But given the two countries' long history of acrimony and the threat that hardline militants pose to the emerging peace process, there is no room for complacency.
Fortunately, India's election results hold promise for steady progress in bilateral ties. India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, now relegated to the opposition, launched the peace process with Pakistan. As the architect of Indo-Pakistani detente, the BJP has little to gain from denouncing the newly elected Indian government's quest for better relations with Islamabad.
Pakistan's military leader, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, is also committed to continuing the peace process. If, indeed, relations between South Asia's two nuclear-armed neighbors seem set to continue on a positive note, how could the peace process stumble?
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