India, Pakistan leaders meet
Hostile neighbors seek cooperation
NEW YORK – The prime ministers of India and Pakistan met in New York on Sunday, and in a step toward easing tension, agreed on the need to stop the recent spate of attacks in the disputed Kashmir region.
They also both accepted invitations to visit each other’s countries, although they didn’t set dates. But the nuclear rivals appeared at odds over whether an end to the Kashmir violence is necessary for stalled peace talks to restart, and India reiterated its demand that terrorist activity emanating from Pakistan must stop.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif met for more than an hour at a hotel on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. It was their first face-to-face meeting since Sharif was elected in May seeking to improve ties with Pakistan’s larger neighbor.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars, and relations have been strained since the 2008 Mumbai attacks blamed on Pakistan-based militants that killed 164 people in India’s commercial hub.