As always, the dispute centers on the Muslim-dominated northern Indian state of Kashmir, where Islamic militants have stepped up their attacks on civilians. Yesterday the militants murdered a moderate Muslim leader from Kashmir, Abdul Ghani Lone. India accuses Pakistan of being behind the recent violent actions. Pakistan continues to reject that charge, asserting that the attacks on India are being conducted by indigenous freedom fighters.

The India-Pakistan border has been a source of trouble since the two countries were carved out of the British Empire in 1947. But since 1998, when both tested nuclear weapons, their dispute has commanded the world's attention. In 1999, when Pakistani forces invaded Indian territory only to be repulsed, there was evidence that the Pakistani military was preparing to use nuclear weapons. The Bush administration has been slow to press the two sides for the kinds of tension-reducing steps taken by the United States and the Soviet Union during the cold war.

There is blame on both sides. Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's leader, took courageous measures last year against Islamic militants. He helped oust the Taliban in Afghanistan and demanded a shutdown of militants' operations on Pakistani soil. But of the 2,000 suspected militants arrested some months ago, most appear to have been released.

For its part, India was quick to mobilize for a full-scale war against Pakistan last winter, even though there was never any evidence of a threat of a Pakistani invasion. India has wrongly rejected the idea of outside intervention by the United States or other countries. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has also erred by increasing military pressure to a level where it may be difficult for India to back out of starting a war. If such thinking is allowed to settle in New Delhi, the consequences will be catastrophic.