India - Pakistan Peace Process : A Failed Attempt

Abstract

Much of the history of relationships between India and Pakistan has remained strained. At several occasions, the strains, caused by hasty partitions, developed into major conflicts. Both nations, however, at sidelines, tried to resolve long standing disputes that were inherited by both as a result of partition and to reconcile with each other, but the efforts for peace could not bring about the resolution of any core dispute. Uncertainty, of such failed peace process, hangs like a sword of Damocles over the lives of over billion people living in two nuclear South Asian states. The paper, tried to answer the questions, related with peace process, its ineffectiveness— one step forward, two step backward orientation— into historical context while applying the neorealist perspective on the dynamics of their relationship. The paper argues that peace process has failed to resolve the core issues between the two states because of several reason, however, if it is allowed unhindered, it can serves as a basis of optimism for conflict resolution. Until now, peace efforts, only resulted in conflict prevention, but it delayed conflict resolution. The core issues taken into account between the two are: emphatically Kashmir dispute, then Siachen, Sir Creek, Water and Security issues. The research relied on secondary data, and is qualitative in nature.