High-Altitude Powder Keg

India and Pakistan have fought three wars against each other since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Now they are battling again, but with a quantum difference this time: Each has nuclear weapons. That makes a compelling case for a cease-fire, now.

Pakistan bears the onus in the fighting. An invasion by Pakistani-supported “freedom fighters” into a section of Kashmir claimed by India has won no international support since it began two months ago. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came away empty-handed from a meeting last month with leaders of China, Pakistan’s longtime ally. When Sharif was in Washington last weekend, President Clinton also urged withdrawal.

In the meeting Sharif promised to pull back the hundreds of fighters who have seized towering peaks inhabitable only in the warmer months. But there has been no withdrawal yet, and Sharif’s promise to Clinton set off denunciations at home by political opponents and supporters of the guerrillas.

India has made a good case that the men claiming to be fighting for the independence of Kashmir, a state claimed by both New Delhi and Islamabad, have received major support from the Pakistani army. Insurgents cannot last long at the high elevations of northern Kashmir without help from professional soldiers.

While denying that its soldiers have crossed the border, Pakistan does concede that they are shelling Indian forces from their territory. Ending the bombardment would be a good first step in ceasing hostilities.

Islamabad can claim to have drawn the world’s attention again to Kashmir. India has indicated willingness to talk about the future of Kashmir, but only after the guerrillas withdraw. Pakistan, having chosen to ride the tiger, might find it difficult to dismount, but it has little choice. Continuing the fight jeopardizes Pakistan at least as much as India.