On 30 January 2003, the IISS hosted a roundtable discussion meeting with Ambassadors Howard Schaffer and Teresita Schaffer on prospects for Indian-Pakistani relations and Kashmir. After distinguished careers in the US Department of State, including several years of working on South Asia issues, Ambassador Howard Schaffer is currently the Director of Studies at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, and Ambassador Teresita Schaffer is Director of the South Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC.
The roundtable considered the present status of and future options for bilateral relations between India and Pakistan in regards to Kashmir. Participants included among others representatives from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the High Commission of India, media and the academic community.
Ambassador Howard Schaffer provided a historical background on US policies and approaches towards the two countries and Kashmir. Ambassador Teresita Schaffer proceeded to discuss future opportunities to improve bilateral affairs. Among the numerous issues addressed during the meeting were international relations of the two countries, nuclear risk reduction, Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs), military deployments, economic relations, elections and good governance, as well as the role of the United Nations.
