Washington, May 05: Despite India and Pakistan taking the first step towards rapprochement after a military standoff an year ago, Kashmir continues to be the bone of contention between the two nations, anlaysts were today quoted as saying. "Even if Indian Prime Minister (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee and Pakistan President (Pervez) Musharraf would like to find a middle ground on Kashmir, they have to encounter strong domestic pressure to maintain their hardline posture," the 'Wall Street Journal' reported, quoting analysts. Former Pakistani ambassador to Washington Maleeha Lodhi told the daily "at the moment, efforts are aimed at de-escalation and restoration of the situation prior to the military standoff rather than any leap forward." The daily also lent credit to US for pressurising both the countries to resolve the vexed issue through a dialogue. "Washington has pushed Musharraf to rein in Kashmiri militants and also asked Vajpayee to resume talks with Pakistan and provide political cover to help Musharraf crackdown on the guerrillas," it said.

Bureau Report