Pakistanti journalist Ahmed Rashid is an analyst I have a lot of time for. I am in the process of getting his latest book on Afghanistan – Decent into Chaos – and just came across this article re: a lecture he gave at SOAS. This comment from the jumped out at me:

Rashid argued for a new diplomatic initiative and an end to competition in Afghanistan. The new US president should apply pressure on India and Pakistan to find solutions to their long-standing problems, so that Pakistan can confidently take its armed resources away from the border with India and put them to better use fighting the Taliban. 

Rashid knows Pakistan better than most and I am reluctant to question him. However, I was recently speaking to a Pakistani foreign affairs analyst who noted that it may not be the right time to push the two parties together – this individual felt that pushing for a resolution to the Kashmir situation may be counter productive as both sides are slowly learning to trust each other.

This is certainly a question the next Administration needs to tackle – does it help or hurt stability to push for a resolution to the Kashmir crisis?

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