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DECEMBER 22-23, 2001 - CONFERENCE ROOM |
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ABSTRACT LINKAGE BETWEEN CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES AND THE PEACE PROCESS IN SOUTH
ASIA SHAHEEN AKHTAR*
Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) are central to any peace process as witnessed in other
peace processes in various parts of the world. Broadly speaking CBMs are intended to create conducive environment to initiate a peace process. But in South Asia peace process has not really taken off despite an array of
Confidence Building Measures being agreed upon during the last decade and half. The fact is that CBMs are part of larger peace process that may gain momentum if the agreed CBMs are not only implemented in letter and
spirit but are directed at conflict resolution as well and not just conflict management or crisis management. In South Asia, though India and Pakistan have agreed to a number of Confidence and Security building
Measures, especially in the arena of avoidance of military conflict or crisis, very little attention is being paid to institute CBMs on central issue of Kashmir which is central to any peace process in South Asia.
One of the main reasons behind this is the divergent perspective of the two countries on the relative utility of CBMs in the region. While India maintains that CBMs in the economic and cultural sphere will lead to
resolution of the Kashmir conflict, Pakistan strongly believes that resolution of the 'core conflict' itself is the 'biggest CBM'. As a corollary, progress on both is held hostage to this zero-sum approach. Meanwhile,
both are concerned about the management of military crisis that may lead to open hostilities. The objective conditions in the region demand a parallel approach that should include CBMs in both spheres-military security
including CBMs on Kashmir and non-military CBMs including economic and cultural CBMs etc. The paper will focus on the linkage between CBMs and peace process in South Asia. Firstly, it would attempt to look into the
utility of existing CBMs both in terms of their implementation and the areas where they are lacking, especially on the 'central question of Kashmir'. Secondly, it would focus on the linkage between CBMs and a
comprehensive 'parallel approach' to the peace process in South Asia. The main questions are:
*Senior Research Analyst, Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad |
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