Indo-pak Cricket Page 3

status quo on Kashmir, Pakistan has sought to change it by the incorporation of Indian administered Kashmir valley in Pakistan.

Nevertheless, both the countries reject the option of a reunified independent Kashmir as a potential strategic threat, and the Lg4gllnited Nations resolution calling for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir may be no longer relevant as a long-lasting solution. A lasting solution to the Kashmir problem would entail many concessions from both sides. The initial optimism over most earlier peace efforts in South Asia has often crumbled under an escalation of border-brinkmanship between India and Pakistan, the rise of insurgency in Indian administered Kashmir, or lack of consensus over outstanding issues and a prospective peace plan. Political calculations, geopolitical focus and international pressure may have laid the groundwork for the latest round of negotiations. However" an imperative need for economic development" regional co-operation" political and social stability, and the wellrecognised security perils of an intermittent nuclear rivalry may continue to pave the way for success by facilitating a structural change in their bilateral relationship and a mutually acceptable solution to the Kashmir impasse.

And then, there is cricket . .

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