Foster talks over Kashmir

Kansas City Star: After decades of blood and bluster, India and Pakistan are on the path that could lead toward peace. No doubt the road will be long, windy and rocky, but it's in the world's interest for these two nuclear-armed rivals to live in harmony.
Diplomats recently reached agreement on the timetable for negotiations over Kashmir, the beautiful Himalayan territory that both nations claim and over which they've fought several wars. The talks also will focus on seven other issues that India and Pakistan agreed to discuss in 1997 but never did.
Nuclear war threat
As peace talks proceed, the United States and international diplomats should offer to help Pakistan and India, which came close to a nuclear confrontation in 2002. But the help cannot be paternalistic. Indian and Pakistani officials may come up with innovative means of achieving peace that the United States and other nations can use as models in other disputes.
India is predominantly Hindu, Pakistan mostly Muslim. Their relationship has been hostile since 1947, when India achieved its independence and Pakistan was created.
The Kashmir problem has festered for decades. Since 1989, when an insurgency movement began there, more than 65,000 people have died. The people of Kashmir, who are mostly Muslim, ultimately must be free to choose whether they want to be part of India, part of Pakistan or independent.
The next two rounds of talks -- on a Kashmir bus service and possible train and bus lines between India and Pakistan -- are scheduled for March. It's crucial that both countries make progress toward agreements that will let them live as friendly neighbors.