Kashmir was labelled the world's most dangerous nuclear flashpoint just two years ago. Sovereignty over the Muslim-dominated province has been in dispute since Pakistan and India gained independence in 1947 and two of the three wars fought since by those countries related directly to the territorial dispute.
Neither country displayed any real willingness to negotiate a settlement; instead, in an ominous development, both raced to arm themselves with nuclear weapons. All of which made the peace initiative started in January of last year very welcome not just in South Asia but in the world at large.
The announcement this week that the peace process is now "irreversible" is extremely encouraging and a great tribute to the vision and statesmanship of president Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh. Agreement has been reached on issues which should further ease Kashmiri tension such as cross-border travel, trade, cultural exchanges, the setting-up of consulates and the re-establishment of rail links. This is a border across which not one truck has travelled in the last 58 years.
This week's developments caught observers by surprise. Mr Musharraf had travelled to Delhi, it was said, just to watch a cricket match between the two countries. But the ensuing talks had clearly been well prepared and both leaders took decisive steps to improve personal relations. The fact that Mr Musharraf was born in Delhi and Mr Singh was born in west Punjab which is part of Pakistan may have helped matters along.
Mr Singh will not face much opposition to the deal from his domestic opponents; after all, it was the leader of the rival BJP party, Mr Atal Vajpayee, who initiated the peace process. However, Mr Musharraf, the survivor of two well-planned assassination attempts, can expect a backlash from Kashmiri militants who have wasted no time denouncing the agreement as a sell-out.
Certainly, Mr Musharraf has conceded Pakistan's hitherto bottom-line, that the issue of Kashmir's sovereignty must first be resolved - and in Pakistan's favour. The sovereignty issue has been kicked to touch and both leaders talk instead of a "soft border" being in place, made all the softer by increased travel and the dispensation of any need for passports. The Kashmiri militants will not give up easily and have warned passengers on the new cross-border bus service that they are travelling in "a coffin". Mr Musharraf, whose autocratic rule has not fully tested his political skills, will need to persuade opponents of the full merits of the peace deal if he is to have their support in standing up to Kashmiri militants.