SRINAGAR, India — India should reduce its massive military presence in Kashmir, boost its economy, and give more power to elected officials to improve the lives of people in the troubled Himalayan region, an international security think-tank said Thursday.
Both nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan have pursued their own agendas in Kashmir while suppressing the demand for greater autonomy, the International Crisis Group said in a report titled, "Steps Towards Peace: Putting Kashmiris First".
"Replacing military-led counterinsurgency with accountable policing and reviving an economy devastated by violence and conflict, would instil greater confidence among Kashmiris," the report released Thursday said.
