Pakistan envoy's visit to India tainted by Kashmir rebel strike
In the first concrete step towards normalising relations between the two nuclear-armed nations, Pakistan's high commissioner-designate to India, Aziz Ahmad Khan, walked across the border before moving on to New Delhi yesterday.
The restoration of full diplomatic relations between the hostile neighbours is seen as an essential pre-requisite for implementing proposals already put forward by the two sides, such as the revival of bus, rail and air links.
But more than two months after India and Pakistan launched a peace initiative, thanks to some discreet prodding by the United States, escalating violence in the disputed territory of Kashmir has highlighted the tasks that lie ahead.
Following the suicide strike by separatist Muslim rebels on an Indian army camp at the weekend, which killed 12 soldiers, authorities said an army major was also killed when troops engaged insurgent groups in different parts of the Himalayan state. At least 14 militants were shot dead.
Indian army chief N.C. Vij rushed to Kashmir and ordered all military formations be put on full alert.
The audacious attack on the army camp was the first significant rebel action since Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee issued a call for peace in mid-April.
As a result, a meeting with Cabinet colleagues called to take stock of his visit to China last week had to be converted into an emergency briefing on the Kashmir situation.
But with Mr Vajpayee intent on pursuing the path of rapprochement with Pakistan, official reaction to the Kashmir killings remained muted.
Only Junior Home Minister Hiren Pathak was sent to Kashmir and he appealed to Pakistan to respond 'positively' to India's peace moves. India came close to war with Pakistan after a similar suicide strike on a military camp in May last year.
However, this time officials in New Delhi maintain that rebel actions will not influence India's assessment of how much and how quickly to normalise relations with Pakistan.
