Katmandu, Nepal — It was a simple gesture lasting only seconds, but an unexpected handshake Saturday between the leaders of India and Pakistan may have signaled at least a slight easing of tension between the two nuclear rivals.
During a speech at the opening of a seven-nation regional conference, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf startled the audience by crossing the stage and extending what he said was "the hand of genuine and sincere friendship" to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Vajpayee rose from his chair to accept the president's handshake. But later, he warned Musharraf, pointedly and personally, that it would take more than courtesies to thaw the icy relationship.
"Now President Musharraf must follow this gesture by not permitting any activity in Pakistan or in any territory it controls today that enables terrorists to perpetrate mindless violence in India," Vajpayee said.
Afterward, there were reports that the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers were huddling privately in a Katmandu hotel before a lavish banquet for the heads of state. Observers were encouraged and surprised to hear that the men might be talking.
Until Saturday, diplomats from both countries had said that any sort of bilateral discussions were unlikely. Earlier in the day, Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh said he had no plans to meet with Pakistan's Abdul Sattar.
India has taken the harder line, saying there would be no talks until Pakistan created a "conducive climate" by publicly disavowing terrorism and effectively cracking down on Islamic terrorists trained and based in Pakistan and Kashmir.
India also has demanded that Pakistan arrest and turn over 20 suspected terrorists on a most-wanted list.
Early this morning, Pakistani security forces arrested 185 Islamic militants, including 15 members of the radical group Jaish-e-Mohammad, against whom Pakistani authorities had filed multiple murder charges, senior law enforcement officials said.
Tensions between the two countries are at the highest in nearly 15 years. Both have been massing troops and armaments along their shared 1,100-mile border and the military buildup continued Saturday.
The two nations' armies exchanged shellfire again Saturday across the line dividing the Himalayan territory of Kashmir. A truckload of explosives being unloaded by Indian soldiers at the border went off accidentally, killing 17 people.
Villagers concerned about potential violence also continued to flee the border areas, especially along the Line of Control that separates Pakistani-held Kashmir from the Indian portion of the disputed territory.
India began reinforcing its border garrisons after a Dec. 13 terrorist attack on the Indian parliament in New Delhi that killed 14. India has blamed Pakistani-backed militants for that attack.
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