WORLD NEWS

January 9, 2004

India and Pakistan to Hold Peace Talks

Leaders of the two rival nations promise to work for peace

After more than 50 years of conflict and three wars, India and Pakistan may soon make peace with one another.

Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Baj-pie) recently met at a South Asian summit, or meeting, in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The leaders promised to meet again in February to work out a peace agreement. They promised to find a solution to their dispute over Kashmir, a Himalayan region both countries claim as their own.

"There are no winners or losers," Musharraf said of the plan for peace. "I think victory is for the world - for all those peace-loving people of the world. Victory is for all the people of India and Pakistan."

Inside the Conflict

At the center of disagreement between India, a mainly Hindu country, and Pakistan, a mostly Muslim nation, is Kashmir. Both countries say the region belongs to them. Kashmir is a mostly Muslim region. In 1947, both India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain.

The two countries have already fought three wars since their independence from Britain. Since 1949, each country has ruled part of Kashmir. More than one million people have died in the conflict. Two years ago, India and Pakistan almost went to war a fourth time. The need for peace between the countries is becoming more urgent because both India and Pakistan have dangerous nuclear weapons.

The View From Kashmir

Most people in India and Pakistan are happy about the call for peace. But the people of Kashmir worry that their wishes will not be considered. Many Kashmiri people want Kashmir to be its own independent country.

The agreement is, "a betrayal of the Kashmiri cause," said Kashmiri militant Amanullah Khan. In a statement, the main Kashmir militant group, Hezb-ul Mujahedeen, promised to keep fighting for the Kashmiri cause whether or not Pakistan and India agree on a plan for peace.

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