ABSTRACT
2008 will be remembered as the year when the likelihood of inter-state conflict receded further into the background, which was inevitable after nuclear weapons entered the equation between India and Pakistan — the two most persistent antagonists in South Asia who have fought several wars in their brief history as independent nations. 2008 also witnessed resurgence in armed conflicts and violence in South Asia amidst these escalating terrorist attacks. Over the years internal security threats have greatly multiplied in South Asia. Issues like terrorism, insurgency, migration, climate change, education and public health have acquired greater salience for internal security, demanding more attention from their political executives and national security elites. The most significant interstate peace process in South Asia is that between India and Pakistan, initiated after an agreement was reached between Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf on the sidelines of the January 2004 SAARC Summit in Islamabad.
