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  Feb. 15 discussion on Kashmir, Afghanistan and religion, ethnicity and the strategic balance in South Asia
 
 
  WHAT:
"Religion, Ethnicity and the Strategic Balance in South Asia," a discussion by scholars and journalists about Kashmir and Afghanistan in relation to the South Asian region. The discussion is part of the 17th Annual South Asia Conference at Berkeley, hosted by the University of California, Berkeley's Center for South Asia Studies.
 
  WHEN & WHERE:
Friday, Feb. 15, from 6- 8 p.m at the International House Auditorium at UC Berkeley. The discussion is free and open to the public. The rest of the conference, which runs through Saturday, requires a fee and registration. To register, or for more information, contact the Center for South Asia Studies at (510) 642-3608.
 
  WHO:
Experts on the Afghanistan/Kashmir panel discussion will include:
  • Pradeep Chhibber, associate professor of political science, UC Berkeley, and holder of the Indo-American Community Chair in India Studies.
  • Khaled Ahmed, a journalist and political analyst who contributes stories to papers and journals in Pakistan and India, and is consulting editor of "The Friday Times" of Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Sumit Ganguly, professor of Asian studies and government, University of Texas at Austin, a specialist on Kashmir.
  • Neil Joeck, a member of the Department of State's policy planning staff, is responsible for Afghanistan, Indo-Pakistani relations and issues involving the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
  • Saeed Shafqat, Columbia University's Quaid-e-Azam Distinguished Professor of Pakistan Studies and the founder and former chairman of the Department of Pakistan Studies established in 1973 at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad.
For more on these panelists, go to: http://ias.berkeley.edu/southasia/kashmir.html
 
 

BACKGROUND:
Kashmir is a disputed territory at the heart of tensions between India and Pakistan. The present tensions between the two countries over the territory has led to a situation described recently by U.S. officials as the closest the two countries have been to war since their 1971 conflict. The fact that both India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons has raised the possibility of a destructive war on an unimaginable scale.

CONTACT:
Janet Gilmore, Media Relations (510) 642-5685