Peacemaking in Kashmir: From Physical Tremor to Political Earthquake?

Worldwatch Institute: Global Security: Worldwatch Global Security Brief #7

Global Security Brief: Peacemaking in Kashmir: From Physical Tremor to Political Earthquake?

The massive tremor that struck northern Pakistan and Kashmir on October 8, 2005 cut through a fault line of conflict that has divided Pakistan and India for 58 years. The epicenter of the quake was near the cease-fire line demarcating Indian—and Pakistani—controlled Kashmir—the so-called Line of Control. With the death toll unofficially pegged at close to 90,000, the disaster within mere minutes inflicted even greater suffering than that wrought by 16 years of conflict: since 1989, an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 people have been killed in the region.

Although the bulk of the quake casualties were in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, the earthquake paid no heed to human-drawn boundaries. The shared suffering, and the need for joint relief and rebuilding efforts, requires that India and Pakistan similarly transcend their deep political divide. But beyond tending to the immediate needs of the survivors, the post-disaster situation offers a unique opportunity to:

1. Build trust between the two hostile neighboring countries and overcome decades of enmity,
2. Defuse the Kashmir conflict, and
3. Reduce military expenditures and shift scarce resources to urgent social needs.