Clinton asked that India "continue to exercise restraint, " and settle the Kargil crisis bilaterally through direct talks.

CNN: THE DANGER OF ESCALATION

Clearly, Washington wants India to continue its dialogue with Islamabad, which has been stalled since the Kargil conflict last summer.

CNN: Operation Bungle?

Neither side used nuclear weapons, but the fallout from Kargil continues.

CNN: Newsmakers

General Pervez Musharraf would be doing his people a terrible disservice if he allowed Kargil to join the long list of military mysteries on the LOC.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Subcontinental Drift: What Really Happened?

They are now dug in on high ground and are able to fire on any vehicles using a strategically valuable road near the town of Kargil.

ECONOMIST: Pakistan and India

In fact, bilateral communications of this kind are readily available and were indeed used during the 1999 Kargil crisis when Mr Vajpayee spoke with Narwaz Sharif, then Pakistan's leader.

BBC: Analysis: South Asia's nuclear brinksmanship

Even now, almost a year later, Brand Kargil sells.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | INDIA: The Spoils of War

That could easily happen with Kargil, too.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Subcontinental Drift: What Really Happened?

Pakistan has an established chain of military command over its weapons, though when these have been readied for possible use in the past, including during the 1999 Kargil crisis, the chain seemed to bypass the civilian government of the day.

ECONOMIST: It's worse than you thought