Backed into a Reasonable Corner

Plain cussedness has often torpedoed talks between India and Pakistan, especially over Kashmir. In 1999, Pakistan's generals, led by Pervez Musharraf, sabotaged the so-called Lahore accord because they felt the Army had been left out of the loop. The 50-day battle they launched on Kashmir's Line of Control destroyed any chance that agreement might have had of succeeding. Two years later, when President Musharraf journeyed to Agra for a summit with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the negotiations broke down because the Indians refused to accept the classification of Kashmir as a "disputed territory," and the Pakistanis became touchy about...

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