In the nearly five decades since India and Pakistan gained their independence, the two countries have clashed repeatedly over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Rita Manchanda, senior program executive for Nepal’s South Asia Forum for Human Rights, is a journalist, writer, scholar, and human rights activist who has dedicated her life to bridging the deep political and ethnic divides between the two nations. A firm believer in the power of participatory democracy, she advocates for the integration of women peace builders into the policy arena. Ms. Manchanda is also a founder and national committee member of the Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy. She organized the 2001 conference “Strengthening Women Building Peace” to discuss the role of gender in conflict transformation. (Last updated 10.2002)

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