The entire week went by with the focus of the caretaker government on driving back Pakistan-backed terrorists (infiltrators) from Kashmir. Net result: politics was pushed into the background as a war of diplomacy raged between Pakistan and India.

First the Pakistan government alleged that the Line of Control separating Pak Kashmir from the Indian one is not clearly demarcated, a charge the Indian government said is untrue. The US, the UK and other countries have come out in support of India on this point and have said that the territory is not negotiable.

Then Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and defence minister George Fernandes got some flak for saying that the Pakistan-backed mercenaries would get safe passage if they chose to retreat from the observation posts that they had captured in Indian territory. The statement was retracted almost immediately.

Pakistan also tried to make a big show to the international media of returning a captured Indian pilot who had bailed out of his MIG when it failed over Pakistan air space. Indian officials tried to play down his return to India by Pakistani officials. But they made a big song and dance when the pilot landed in India. Throughout the week, the two countries tried to come up with a date for holding talks.

The Indian army meanwhile announced major gains when it announced that it had flushed out and killed terrorists from certain areas in Kashmir and recapture certain observation points. The government says it will continue its air strikes and ground attacks until it can weed out the infiltrators totally.