ISAS Insights

The assessment of some of the recent developments in South Asia is based on a number of conversations the author had in Pakistan during a two-week stay in Lahore and Islamabad in early February 2010. He met with a number of Pakistani politicians, senior officials - civilian and military, serving and retired - most of whom offered their views on the condition that they should not be directly quoted given the sensitive nature of the issues discussed during the conversations. The author also met with some senior diplomats, including those from the United States (US). He had discussions with some officials from the United Nations who were managing programmes in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.