Victory for Both

Victory for Both It often happens that two groups quarrel over a piece of land. A part of the land is grabbed by one group and the rest by the other. One way to end the quarrel is for both groups to fight each other till, at last, both of them are destroyed in the process. The other, and obviously more sensible, way is for both parties to agree that each will keep that part of the land that is currently in its possession, that they will cease fighting, and that they will concentrate, instead, on developing the land that they control. This is called a ‘win-win solution’. This, to my mind, is the best and most practicable formula to solve the conflict between India and Pakistan over the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan presently control parts of the state. If the two agree to remain in possession of whatever part of the state they presently control and cease fighting, that would be a ‘win-win solution’. They could then turn their attention to, and focus their resources on developing their own countries. It is true that the portion of Kashmir under Pakistani control is considerably smaller in size than that which is under Indian rule. But the size of a territory is only of relative importance. What is most important is to use one’s available resources in a wise manner, even if the area under one’s control is small. Numerous small countries or territories have flourished and emerged as prosperous commercial and financial hubs across the world—Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Taiwan, for instance. Man is a psychologically complex creature. If one