Kashmir In Context: A New Chapter In An Old Conflict
In-person, Members-only
Monday, June 9, 2025| 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET
In 2025, a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, killed more than 20 people and triggered the most serious military escalation between India and Pakistan in recent years. For three tense days, the two nuclear-armed neighbors exchanged fire and deployed drones—a first in their long-standing rivalry—before reaching a fragile ceasefire on May 10. The conflict marked a troubling shift toward high-tech warfare and raised urgent concerns about the future of strategic stability in South Asia. It also underscored the need for sustained international attention to the Kashmir dispute, not just during moments of crisis. Why does this region continue to spark such volatility between India and Pakistan? How did a conflict rooted in colonial history evolve into one of the most intractable—and potentially explosive—disputes in the world today? What lessons can we learn from past crises, and how might international diplomacy, civil society, and regional leadership play a role in preventing future escalations?
Join us for an in-person conversation on Monday, June 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM with Mr. Farooq Kathwari, Chairman, President, and CEO of Ethan Allen Interiors and Founder of the Kashmir Study Group, who brings a rare blend of business leadership, international diplomacy, and personal insight into this complex issue. Drawing from his memoir Trailblazer: From the Mountains of Kashmir to the Summit of Global Business and Beyond and his extensive work with organizations such as the U.S. Institute of Peace, the International Rescue Committee, and the Council on Foreign Relations, Mr. Kathwari will offer a multidimensional perspective on this issue.
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SPEAKER:
Mr. Farooq Kathwari
Farooq Kathwari is the chairman, president, and CEO of Ethan Allen Interiors, Inc. He has been president of the company since 1985, and chairman and CEO since 1988. Serving in numerous capacities at several nonprofit organizations, he is a member of the Board of Overseers of the International Rescue Committee; a member of the advisory board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; chairman emeritus of Refugees International; an advisory member of the New York Stock Exchange; former chairman of the National Retail Federation; director emeritus and former chairman and president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance; a director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University; and a member of the International Advisory Council of the United States Institute of Peace.
The founder of the Kashmir Study Group, Mr. Kathwari served as a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from 2010 to 2014. He also joined the congressionally mandated United States Institute of Peace Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States, co-chaired by Governor Tom Kean and Representative Lee Hamilton, who formerly led the 9/11 Commission.
Among his recognitions, Mr. Kathwari is a recipient of the 2018 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, has been inducted into the American Furniture Hall of Fame, and has been recognized as an Outstanding American by Choice by the U.S. government. He has received the Yale School of Management’s Chief Executive Leadership Institute Lifetime of Leadership Award; the New American Dream Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award; the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants Legacy Award; the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal; the National Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee; the National Retail Federation Gold Medal; the International First Freedom Award from the Council for America’s First Freedom; Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award; the Anti-Defamation League’s Humanitarian Award; City of Hope’s International Home Furnishings Industry Spirit of Life® Award; and the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award from the National Association of Asian MBAs.
Mr. Kathwari is the author of Trailblazer: from the Mountains of Kashmir to the Summit of Global Business and Beyond, a memoir published in September 2019. He serves on the board of the Western Connecticut State University Foundation, the advisory board of The Hebrew Home at Riverdale, and has been recognized by Worth magazine as one of the 50 Best CEOs in the United States.
Mr. Kathwari holds BA degrees in English Literature and Political Science from Kashmir University, Srinagar, and an MBA in International Marketing from New York University, New York. He is also the recipient of three honorary doctorate degrees. For more information, visit farooqkathwari.com.
THIS SESSION IS FREE FOR NETWORK 20/20’s MEMBERS
NOT YET A NETWORK 20/20 MEMBER?
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Image credit: Photo by Lalit Regar on Unsplash
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