Diplomacy across the Kashmir line of control

In the middle of the piles of rubble and bodies in Pakistan there's a report that's really warming -- it's much easier to make blog posts revealing political deceptions, but I thought it might be good to make a post praising a nice spot of diplomacy we saw happening with the Pakistani disaster on the weekend. All the news sources have reported that India is providing aid to Pakistan. Last I heard they offered to ferry aid across the militarised zone of Kashmir, but no one was sure if Pakistan would accept. Seems like it's happening now though.

ABC noted that the so-called "nuclear neighbours" were becoming friendlier lately. Actually a friend just told me that when an underwater fibre optic cable was damaged earlier this year, temporarily breaking Pakistan's Internet connection, they approached India asking about the possibilities for sharing some of India's connectivity. Well it would be a nice boost for the economy if Pakistan could have a few of its own Bangalores.

Seems that Israel's offer of aid was rejected though. Even if India's aid is worthy, Israel's still in the bad books. That being said, apparently "Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf had an 'unprecedented encounter' last month" at the UN General Assembly, but Pakistan still officially refuses to recognise Israel's sovreignty before there's a proper Palestinian state established.

Drawing courtesy of Afshin Sabuki
Technorati Tags: Kashmir, Pakistan, earthquake, India, diplomacy