KASHMIR STUDY GROUP AND CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES TO LAUNCH STUDY ON ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF PEACE IN KASHMIR

LARCHMONT, NY - (April 1, 2003) - The Kashmir Study Group (KSG), working with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, has announced the two institutions will undertake a study of the economic dimensions of peace in Kashmir.

The project, entitled “Kashmir: The Economics of Peace,” will map out a vision of how Kashmir would fit into the regional and world economy following a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir problem, and develop a menu of economic activities and projects that could help bring about this outcome. Ambassador Teresita C. Schaffer, director of the South Asia Program at CSIS and longtime member of the Kashmir Study Group, will direct the study. Several other members of the KSG will participate, along with experts both in the region and elsewhere.

Farooq Kathwari, chairman of KSG, commented, “We are pleased that this important study is being undertaken at this stage. The economy, health and educational facilities of the Kashmir region have been devastated due to the conflict.” The study is based on the premise that neither South Asia nor Kashmir will be peaceful and secure without a Kashmir settlement that is peaceful, honorable and feasible. Such an outcome requires revival of the badly damaged Kashmiri economy, expansion of trade both in Kashmir and in India and Pakistan, and development of practical means of integrating the regional economies. It is possible to begin to address the economic dimensions of Kashmir’s plight even before the political aspect of the problem has been settled. The Kashmir Study Group’s goal is to make a contribution to addressing the economic problems Kashmiris face today, but also to set forth a path for working on their larger political and economic needs for the future.

The Kashmir Study Group (kashmirstudygroup.org) consisting of 25 members with political, diplomatic and academic backgrounds, extensively interacts with the parties to the Kashmir conflict. Established in 1996, KSG is headquartered in Larchmont, New York.

For four decades, CSIS has been dedicated to providing world leaders with strategic insights on-solutions to-current and emerging global issues. CSIS maintains resident experts on all the world’s major geographical regions and is committed to helping develop new methods of governance for the global age. Its audiences include public and private policy makers in the United States and around the world. For more information, see www.csis.org.1875 Palmer Avenue, New York 10538

www.kashmirstudygroup.org 914-834-0400 (phone) 914-633-8471 (fax)