India and Pakistan have reached a ceasefire in their two-month fight over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Well, not exactly a ceasefire. Instead, the two militaries have negotiated a "disengagement": Islamic guerrillas who crossed into Indian territory have reportedly agreed -- at Islamabad's urging -- to withdraw from their positions. To facilitate the pullout, India has suspended airstrikes. Indian officials deny this is a ceasefire. Rather, they say that they are "behaving," matching the enemy's good behavior.
This semantic hairsplitting may seem like conventional diplomatic rhetoric, but that view obscures the powerful forces at work in Kashmir. Things are not as they seem in the territory. The standoff there has festered for decades, but that does not mean that the status quo is sustainable. Disengagement provides a breathing space; the two governments must use it to build a framework for real peace in the region.
There is plenty of room for dispute. For starters, there is no border. Instead, India and Pakistan observe a "Line of Control," agreed to in 1972 after their second war over the province. The uneasy peace that has been in effect since then has been anything but peaceful. The two sides have regularly exchanged artillery fire, testing each other's forces and ensuring that the territorial dispute simmers. Then there are those Islamic guerrillas. Islamabad claims the Mujahedeen are independent fighters, but most observers argue -- and Pakistani officials have conceded off the record -- that the Pakistani government supports and has considerable influence over them.