Kashmir, Four die in gun battle
Indian and Pakistani troops are reported to have exchanged gunfire across their ceasefire line in the disputed territory of Kashmir, killing two soldiers from each side. While such exchanges are relatively common, they come as the standoff between the two countries continues to worsen.
India has accused Pakistan of not creating the right conditions for a resumption of dialogue over the continuing tension between the two countries. The Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, are due to attend a South Asian summit in Nepal, but there are no plans for direct talks.
Hopes of resolving the current conflict between the neighbouring countries were also hit today by a delay to the summit. The start of the meeting, in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, was postponed until tomorrow, after bad weather held up the arrival of the Pakistani President who had been on a visit to China.
The summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation, known as SAARC, will now last only two days instead of three. The Indian Prime Minister has, however, ruled out direct talks with Mr Musharraf until Pakistan acts to eliminate cross border terrorism by Kashmiri separatists. Pakistan earlier detained more than 100 hardline Islamist activists, including members of Kashmiri militant groups blamed by India for last month's attack on its parliament.
The American Defence Secretary has said that he does not believe the two countries will go to war. Speaking in Washington, Donald Rumsfeld said that he was confident they could resolve the tensions between them without resorting to military conflict. He said that President Bush had been in close touch with both leaders.
