India-Pakistan bus diplomacy

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Today, the commerce ministers of nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan are meeting in New Delhi to discuss trade and economic cooperation. Last week, the two countries reached a landmark agreement allowing a bus service to begin linking the disputed region of Kashmir, which is divided by Indian control on one side and Pakistani on the other. India also recently agreed in principle to receive natural gas from Iran through a pipeline that goes through Pakistan. This Monday, Pakistan's cricket team will start a 50-day tour of India.

This progress bolsters security in South Asia. The rapprochement between the two countries will help temper the jihadi movement in Pakistan that strives to liberate the predominantly Muslim Kashmir region from Indian control. The animosity towards India in Pakistan feeds a nationalism that bolsters Islamic extremism and the jihadi activity. For this reason, the linking of both sides of Kashmir through a bus service is particularly welcomed.

In addition, better relations between Pakistan and India will make it easier for Afghanistan to export its natural gas, copper, iron and precious stone resources. That trade activity will aid U.S. and NATO military efforts in Afghanistan.

The rapprochement between India and Pakistan was begun by former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took office in May 2004, the effort stalled. The new momentum indicates that the Singh government is a willing neighbor.

During trade talks today and tomorrow, India is expected to urge Pakistan to grant it a most-favored-nation status. New Delhi has already given Pakistan such a trade status. Bilateral trade between the two countries increased nearly 40 percent in 2003-04, reaching $344.29 million. In 2004-2005, trade is expected to exceed $500 million.

The Kashmir bus service, which is slated to begin on April 7, will provide the first direct land link across the de facto border in decades. The agreement was announced during Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh's visit to Islamabad, which marked the first bilateral trip by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan since 1989. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir since winning independence from Britain in 1947.

Secretary of State Colin Powell had made a concerted effort in encouraging a Pakistani-Indian thaw. The recent developments are a testament to his efforts, and the will of Islamabad and New Delhi to tackle politically difficult, but strategically critical, issues.