India, Pakistan need help in the march toward peace

If there was any doubt about the heavy lifting that will be required to forge a lasting peace between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, consider this comment from an Indian security official in reaction to assurances from the United States that Pakistan is clamping down on Islamic militants:
"By telling us that the infiltration is down, they are encouraging us to talk," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post. "It is diplomatic posturing by the Americans."
The official was referring to the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which has been the flashpoint of two of the three wars India and Pakistan have fought since 1947.
That skeptical reaction reflects the deep-seated distrust each country harbors for the other. And that distrust has triggered a nuclear arms race and raised stakes in the conflict over the future control of Kashmir.
Last year, India and Pakistan amassed more than 1 million troops along the border, and an investigative report by the Christian Science Monitor revealed that Al-Qaida fighters and an array of militant affiliate groups had moved into the section of Kashmir controlled by Pakistan, which is predominantly Muslim. India's population is mostly Hindu.
President Bush, hoping to ease tensions and encourage formal negotiations between the two enemies, this week sent Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to the region.
It was Armitage, after his meeting with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who said he had received assurances that Pakistan would not permit militants to operate training camps on its territory.
A matter of trust
But as the reaction from the Indian security official showed, such assurances aren't easily believed.
For this reason, the direct involvement of a third party is essential to bring about peace between the two countries.
There is too much history of violence, spurred by religious hatred, for Indian and Pakistani leaders to suddenly sit across the table from each other and make nice.
What is required is someone to play the role of mediator, facilitator and referee. The individual must operate under the auspices of the United Nations and cannot come from countries that are allied to either Pakistan or India.
Indeed, the skepticism expressed by the Indian official about Armitage's comments suggests that America's close ties to Pakistan will not be easily dismissed by India.
Bush has had high praise for Pakistan's support in America's war in Afghanistan, which resulted in the Taliban government's being ousted.
The Taliban had provided the world's leading terrorist, Osama bin Laden, and his Al-Qaida network safe haven. But when the coalition forces landed in Afghanistan, the terrorists fled into the mountains and then made their way into Pakistan.
They have been welcomed with open arms by border provinces in Pakistan. Thus, India's contention that these terrorists are now fomenting trouble in Kashmir.
Both countries have successfully tested the delivery systems for their nuclear weapons, which is why any tensions are so fraught with danger.
The Bush administration should encourage both sides to accept the participation of a mediator and it should ask U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to make the appointment.