Well there is information that we don't know that only our politicians that we vote for know. I don't know what they are trying to accomplish but I guess we will never find out because politicians keep secrets from us.

I agree. We don't know.

What I do know is that global diplomacy requires us to deal with the worst and the best of foreign powers. I am sure the gains are greater than the losses.

Watch even if Ron Paul becomes president which I highly doubt he will. He will keep befriending Pakistan just because he will know something which we will not know and he will see that befriending Pakistan has more gains than loses.

Of course they are going to try and talk peace with India..they don't have our (USA) backing anymore, which was the only reason India held back for years.

@Brenda,

There are a number of reasons:

1) You are confusing the Pakistani government and the Pakistani people. The Pakistani people are not the ones who sheltered bin Laden, though they often have little patience with the US doing things in Pakistan that Americans would not even let Canadians do. But the people are far down the pecking order. Above them is an educated elite who control virtually of the country's resources, and above them is the civilian government, and above them is a 13-member military commission, and, according to many, above even them is the Pakistani intelligence outfit, the ISI. We help the people because it is the right thing to do, but we have drawn back considerably from the powerless Pakistani government and military.

2) Pakistan is the way it is as a result of British mischief at the end of the Raj. They divided "India" into two countries: India (mostly Hindu with a significant Muslim minority), East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (now Pakistan) were togther as one country. East and West Pakistan were separated by a "finger" of India without even a road to connect them. Eventually Bangladesh declared independence and broke away, not only from Pakistan, but from the whole sabre-rattling thing. And they put the almost Muslim Kashmir under the control of Hindu India. All this was carefully done in order to keep the region in perpetual chaos. They also did similar things in the Middle East, several places in Africa, and eastern Europe.

3) Pakistan (and India) is nuclear-armed and has sophisticated enough missiles to hit any point on the earth. Pakistan's possession of nuclear weapons is especially troubling since a) India is 4 times as big as Pakistan and nukes are a weapon that would ten to be used by losers in a conflict, b) Pakistan has had ties with Syria, Lybia, North Korea and other countries that we don't want to have access to their weapon technology, and c) India and Pakistan have already had several major wars.

4) The joker in the deck is the Pakistani ISI. This is a fairly small group that has connections to the ruling elite and the military's higher ranks. But the ISI, in many ways, tends to steer the country around. The Pakistani government or military could well not have known about bin Laden living there, but the ISI certainly knew. The ISI runs the el Hakari Network that rivals the Taliban as trouble-makers in Afghanistan. And the ISI keeps the Kashmir issue alive and in the attention of the Pakistani people. It was the ISI, for example, who recruited, trained, financed, ddispatched, and controlled the Muslim terrorists who stages the huge coordinated attacks in Mumbai.

5) Everyone in the region knows that in a war, India would kick Pakistani butt. But if it were to ever come to that, Pakistan would not only shower India wioth nukes, but would most likely share their WMD and missile technology with countries like North Korea.

6) And last but not least, during the Cold War, Britain forced the US to side with Pakistan, driving India into the Soviet camp. India was always classified as an "unfriendly country" with huge trade sanctions and economic barriers. As a result, India is still suspicious of its former "enemy" and our alliance with Pakistan. Sticking with Pakistan hurts the US in basically reducing the amount of trade we can do with India.

For the masses of the Pakistani people, the hated Great Satan is not Christianity or the US or even Britain, but Hindu India.

Peace talks with India are, at best, a huge paradox. It is in Pakistan and India's best interests to talk peace because war is so costly. But India is unlikely to give up Kashmir, no matter how much of a Muslim majority it has. India is also well-aware that it is also nuclear-armed and much larger than Pakistan in economy and military. Pakistan, on the other hand needs to keep India as an enemy so that they have a focus to unite the fragmented Paki society.

India also needs Pakistan as an enemy. India itself is as culturally diverse as Europe. Nothing unites India except an enforcing central government which although democratic is also fairly corrupt. Google "Separatist movements in India" - you will find over a dozen. It is quite reasonable to argue that India is not viable as a country, but rather as a continent in its own right, much of the form that Europe takes today.

There is a basic tenent here that will dictate all future activites and actions. Pakistan is a muslim controlled country with all governmental actions dictated by and controlled by the muslim leaders. India is not muslim and while India has numerous problems being controlled by a hate filled muslim culture is not one of them. Never in our recent history has any muslim controlled country been successful, or anything but a backward, hate filled, illiterate failed country, not one. Let India dictate it's own terms and relationships with this failed muslim state. Nothing will change in this region until secular governments wrest control from the muslim leaders and fanatics who dictate all policies and laws. Muslim laws ( sharia ) and the hate filled muslim rules will never allow any country to be even the least bit successful.

Byron - what unites India is tolerance truth and non-violence. Despite a fair share of their historical and cultural ills, all Indians share the same culture of tolerance, truth, non-violence and coexistence.

Folks, I'm not buying what you're selling. Our government knows more than the 300 million US citizens? No, that doesn't pass the straight face test. LMAO

This kind of statements (nothing unites India...blah blah) shows the ignorance to some dudes in US who just write as regular joe bloggers, or journalists or CIA analysts. For them, everything is black and white, without understanding the complex Indian culture. First in western culture and desert culture - concept is kill and conquer (Christians and Muslims). This started as a need to survive in cold winters (so that the natives of these countries can kill animals and save and eat it through the winter). In desert culture if the extreme heat that makes them again kill and conquer for survival. Now, the hindu culture of India is exactly opposite - for at least the last 5000 yrs we have had the best weather and we could use fertile land for producing food, without killing (or minimal killing) of animals for food. And our rishis and sages did some research and found far advanced in astronomy and math. This is the reason why we treat COWS as sacred and we just want to use it for its milk (cow is the best chemical factory of the world) and not kill and eat it. Also, India is the only nation on earth that has maximum vegetarians and we see the LORD in everything that moves (animals) and plants.

America was on the right side of WWII and we also supported England as Gandhi agreed to support British. But things got out of hand for kashmir war and US deserted us (India) and Indira Gandhi (no relation to our freedom fighter MK Gandhi. Indira Nehru became Indira Gandhi as she married a parsi (some guy with some muslim roots) and Gandhi took him as adopted son, hence she got the last name change from Nehru to Gandhi. Now this Sonia Gandhi is a christian and the entire Rajiv / Indira family has mixed breed culture in them).

This talks between two heads is just some lip service for media and western nations ... to keep them happy. Both nations will not solve kashmir problem. Very simple, Politicians love power and will not solve problems.

Of course US is playing a double game in Afghanistan and Pakistan for decades - everybody knows. WE (Indians) are happy that US is doing the job of cleaning up of terrorists of the worls (mainly muslims) and are helping India. India is a democracy inspite of the corrupt govt. WE are getting C17's from Boeing - that is a great gift to Indian Defence. This is to counter China not Pakistan. Real enemy is China not Pakistan. Indian defence knows this and US is helping us....
Byron Raum

Nothing unites India except an enforcing central government which although democratic is also fairly corrupt. Google "Separatist movements in India" - you will find over a dozen. It is quite reasonable to argue that India is not viable as a country, but rather as a continent in its own right, much of the form that Europe takes today.

Well .... only if uncle sam doesn't intervene and take the lunch away. All the terrorism emanating from Pakistan is truly an American gift to India.

That won't work, the majority of the locals in both sides are hell bent on the destruction of the other. Not to mention who should claim Kashmir? Don't tell me divide it in half, I am sure even people in Kashmir would disagree.

That is what happens when you allow your military personnel to pick and choose which of their commander-in-chief's orders they will obey.

For what it's worth - Benazir carried the torch of democracy she received from her assasinated father and looks like zardari is trying to carry it forward from Benazir.

Lets wish him good luck for the sake of pakistan, India and the world.

Bobl...good observation, and totally true. Perhaps the problem with Pakistan might be the islamic rule? Ya think?

Pakistan has very little to offer them, but they also have lots to threaten them with.

Besides that, India want to move on from the militaristic stand-off, and for good reason. They're getting richer, and have a stake in the modern, globalized world. Pakistan is a dunghole with an army a fraction of India's strength and size, and it's only threat is its nuclear weapons, which India would rather not be perpetually aimed at them.

That's why the drive for peace. India doesn't want to deal with the animosity anymore. More importantly, if it can make peace and seem less threatening to Pakistan, then the military will quickly lose popularity. Pakistan's military constantly touts war with India as an ever-present threat (like India would want to invade their disaster area of a nation), similar to how North Korea is constantly ready for a war that will never come with South Korea. Take that away and the military seems a lot less important, and a lot more incompetent for having entire tribes of militants settled in its border regions.

This is a good idea. India has everything to gain and nothing to lose.

The weapons didn't fire in that cold conditions. So the soldiers would dismantle the gun and keep it inside the coat close to the body warmth. At least that's what was true until 90s. Dont know if they have better weapons today.

Shut up u PAKI

Hey paki...India is twice the country of any islamist state! Educated and successful, can't say that about any islamist country...not one.

India tried to improve Kashmir with roads and schools. Pakistan screwed it up with the Pak Taliban, and other terror. The Pak ISI puts up a lot of propaganda---I am surprised the pakis believe it.

None? That's just distorted, most of last two thousand years Muslims have been great educators/thinkers. The only thing that changed during the last few hundred years is the balance of power and cohesion that Islamic people are suppose to have and that is a khalifah. I will grant you that non-Muslim countries have greatly prospered which is absolutely fine but know that majority of world's resources are in Muslim countries. How about Pakistan for being atomically educated or Turkey/Singapore/UAE/Malaysia etc. as being educated and successful?

"Atomically educated". Thats nice. I also read about "being great educators / thinkers". Atomic education huh?

Pakistan doesn't really get points for developing nukes. That's hard, but not a benign or productive acheivement. Besides, their civilian education status is atrocious. Turkey's is good. Indonesia's is good, I think. Many middle eastern countries are decent. There is reason to believe that strong Islamic beliefs can hinder good modern education, but that's a separate issue.

That said, India is bad when it comes to Kashmir. There's very little argument that in their stand-off against Pakistan, India has shown great restraint for a neighbor that their army could smash into mud (if not for the nukes, anyway). But Kashmir is a flash-point, and India has made mistake after mistake in dealing with it.

In that respect, India can only gain from a more peaceful arrangement, and it will piss off the Pakistani generals to no end, which is also a plus.

The attack on Mumbai killed 164 people it was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba an evil group of terrorists sponsored and protected by Pakistan. If Pakistan wanted or planned for peace they would arrest and execute the terrorists and the members of the ISI that sponsor them.

Pakistan is not seeking peace it is seeking time. Time to build up its strength and time for the wounds that India suffered in Mumbai to be forgotten or not be as intense. Pakistan will then attack again. It is in the nature of Islam to act in this way.

If Pakistan attacks India to soon then there will be a real war.

you have a point but we must have peace or at some point we will destroy our planet. We have intelligence and compassion. It is high time to use it.

Yes, they do have a lot in common, just like Israelis and Palestinians.

No, actually alumette is right. Culturally they're not far apart at all.

Militarism has divided their people for too long.

I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Of course, the Muslim's right to practice Islam comes from the same amendment.