Tuesday October 16, 2001

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Secretary of State Colin Powell's South Asia visit got off to a rocky start yesterday as Indian troops opened fire on Pakistani positions in the Kashmir region just hours after Powell appealed for restraint.

The Bush administration has been hoping that Pakistan and India would contain their differences over Kashmir at least for the duration of the American-led military campaign against Afghanistan-based Osama bin Laden and his terrorist organization.

In Washington, President Bush urged India and Pakistan to try to avoid military conflict over Kashmir, because fighting there "could create issues" for the anti-terrorism campaign.

"It is very important that India and Pakistan stand down during activities in Afghanistan or, for that matter, forever," Bush said.

Pakistan's support for U.S. operations is considered crucial because it is adjacent to Afghanistan. India has been sharing intelligence and offering other support for the anti-terrorism coalition.

Powell, who arrived there yesterday, is planning to make the case for restraint in

Kashmir during a meeting today with President Pervez Musharraf and tomorrow when he meets Indian Prime Minister Atal Bahiri Vajpayee in New Delhi.

A senior Indian army official said Indian forces shelled Pakistani military posts across the cease-fire line yesterday in Kashmir, destroying 11 posts. The Pakistan army was returning fire as midnight approached yesterday, a Pakistani army spokeswoman said.

Bush said Powell's mission was "to talk to both sides about making sure that if there are tensions - and obviously there are - that they be reduced."

"We are mindful that activities around Kashmir could create issues in that part of the region, particularly as we're conducting our operations in Afghanistan," Bush said after meeting in the Oval Office with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Yesterday's action in Kashmir followed a terrorist bombing there Oct. 1 that killed about 40 people. It left U.S. officials worried that India and Pakistan would turn their attention on each other instead of cooperating in the global counter terrorism effort.

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice said that before U.S. airstrikes on Afghanistan began Oct. 7, she, Bush and Powell called many top Indian and Pakistani officials to emphasize the importance of "not having a flare-up" over Kashmir.

"There's a lot of diplomatic infrastructure in place to try to tamp this down," Rice told reporters.

Musharraf, in an interview with USA Today and CBS Radio, said he would tell Powell the

United States should target Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar before going after

bin Laden.

"It could be over in one day if you take out Mullah Omar and his leadership. Once you've done that, the campaign is over," Musharraf said.

Security was heavy as Powell undertook his first foreign mission since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

It was just after dark when Powell and his party landed at a military airport next to Islamabad's main commercial airport. To limit visibility of the aircraft, all shades were drawn several minutes before touchdown.

The State Department withheld details of Powell's arrival time and activities,

recognizing the fierce opposition of many Pakistanis to their government's cooperation in efforts to hunt down bin Laden and his associates.