ABSTRACT
Historically, the regional agreements reached between India and Pakistan have not really been substantial achievements, being more directed toward a formal termination of hostilities than a step toward genuine reconciliation and durable peace. The Tashkent agreement contributed to an internal struggle in Pakistan, and the growth of a “stab in the back” sentiment. In the case of Simla, the final agreement between Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Indira Gandhi on Kashmir, if there was one, was never recorded, and there remains a serious dispute as to whether it was intended to lead to a permanent resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Even the recent Lahore “bus diplomacy,” greeted with such fervor and hope in South Asia and the world, did not prevent the serious conflicts some weeks later in Kargil. While there are bright spots noticeable, South Asia, now nuclear-armed and economically lagging behind the rest of Asia, with well over half the world’s poorest people, presents a picture of an area in retreat, not advance.
