CONFLICT IN KASHMIR

June 1, 1999
		Fighting between India and Pakistan intensified as Indian forces bombed Islamic guerrillas in the disputed territory of Kashmir. After an ITN background report, two experts assess the situation in South Asia.

June 1, 1999: Tensions flare between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. Feb. 22, 1999: Easing nuclear tensions between India and Pakistan. June 4, 1998: Leaders meet in Geneva to discuss India/Pakistan situation. May 29, 1998: The dangers of nuclear diplomacy in the region. May 28, 1998: Pakistan responds to India's nuclear tests. May 26, 1998: Pakistan contemplates nuclear test response. May 26, 1998: Tensions rise between India and Pakistan. May 14, 1998: India conducts five nuclear tests in three days. Complete NewsHour coverage of Asia.   Indian Embassy in Washington Pakistani Embassy in Washington Nuclear Control Institute Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Center for Nonproliferation Studies Nuclear Test Ban Treaty The Times of India The Hindu	JIM LEHRER: The newest round of fighting between India and Pakistan in the disputed territory of Kashmir. It grew intense last week when India launched air strikes against a group of guerrillas. India claimed they infiltrated from Pakistan and seized land claimed by India. We start with a report from the Pakistani side of the border. The correspondent is Ian Williams of Independent Television News.
	A history of tensions.
	IAN WILLIAMS, Independent Television News: A call to prayer in the valley, a call to arms in the hills above. This is the world's most dangerous frontier, the line of control between India and Pakistan in the disputed region of Kashmir. We were brought here by the Pakistan army, Captain Naeen denying Indian allegations that his side was infiltrating fighters across the line. CAPTAIN RANA NAEEN, Pakistan Army: We don't have any freedom fighters here. But they say at night freedom fighters come in. So they remain awake. At 12:00, they get up and they start fighting. So after that, they fight again. IAN WILLIAMS: Fortifications have been gouged into the hillside. And from his lookout post, the captain knows every nook and cranny of the valley dividing him from his Indian counterparts. CAPTAIN RANA NAEEN: There is no feature at certain places which could define where the line of control is, so it's just a line on a map. IAN WILLIAMS: On the other side, the Indian lookout post. While it's not unusual for the two sides to exchange fire across the line of control behind me, what is unusual, according to Pakistani officials, is the intensity of the bombardment of recent days. During a lull in the shelling, civilians make a bid for safety. Pakistan claims 12 have been killed in this, the Bhimber region alone. Hundreds of others have been forced from their homes, provoking anger from the visiting Pakistani Minister for Kashmiri Affairs. GENERAL MAJEED MALIK, Pakistani Minister, Kashmiri Affairs: There is neither any military force there, nor any weapon or gun, nor any military positions. It was purely a civilian population. And three children were the first victims.
	The propaganda war.
	IAN WILLIAMS: We were not shown enough to confirm whether the valley is militarily significant. What we were shown: Several hundred of those who fled their homes and are now sheltering in a school 20 kilometers from the border. They were ushered into the school playground for the benefit of the media. The propaganda war here is almost as fierce as the fighting war. The military has a firm grip on this border region, but the government denies any suggestion the army's out of control or has its own agenda in this conflict. MUSHAHID HUSAIN, Minister of Information, Pakistan: In Pakistan, it's one big monolith, and it's all under the control of the political leadership of the prime minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif. There is too much at stake here: 1.2 billion people, nuclear weapons, an area which is the most strategic piece of real estate in the third world. IAN WILLIAMS: There's little sign of a letup in the shelling here, which at times has an almost surreal quality about it. But the impact on the civilian population is very real, as is the continuing danger of this conflict spinning out of control.