There are three potential flash points for war in Asia that keep security experts awake at night – the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait, and India and Pakistan.

All three crisis spots remain at a simmer. But in the case of India and Pakistan, there is at least some movement away from confrontation.

Two years ago the two nuclear-armed neighbors were at the brink of war, with soldiers mobilized and missiles readied.

Today, the two countries are carrying out a broad dialogue, at the highest level, its pace undisturbed by the change in government in India earlier this year. From cricket matches to air flights, cross-border contacts are being restored.

But this process of engagement can be quickly driven back to tense confrontation. And even what appears to be progress can sometimes be deceptive.

A case in point: Pakistani leader Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s speech earlier this past week offering thoughts on how to resolve the Kashmir dispute. Musharraf’s ideas drew praise as evidence of his readiness to make a breakthrough in relations.

Unfortunately, his speech had more to do with public relations than with finding a solution to this longstanding problem.

India and Pakistan should tackle the issues they can solve to build confidence between them. Taking on Kashmir now is like an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue that begins with reaching an agreement on the status of Jerusalem.

The Kashmir issue dates back to 1947, when Britain divided its Indian empire into Pakistan, which was formed as an Islamic state, and India, which includes a Muslim minority that is larger in size than any Arab nation.

At the time of partition, the Hindu ruler of the princely state of Kashmir, which had a Muslim majority, chose to join India. Pakistan never recognized that action and sent troops to try to seize the territory. An uneasy United Nations-administered truce left Kashmir divided, with two-thirds still in Indian hands.

Kashmir has been a factor in two more major India-Pakistan wars and a near war in 1999. During the past 15 years, militant Islamist fighters, trained and supported by Pakistan, have battled Indian army forces. Kashmir has joined Chechnya, Afghanistan and now Iraq as a battleground for Islamic radicals around the world. Three years ago, Islamist terrorists attacked the Indian Parliament.

Musharraf’s speech suggested Pakistan might withdraw its longstanding demand to hold a plebiscite in which Kashmiris would choose whether to be a part of India or Pakistan. He put several other options on the table, including redividing Kashmir and placing it under joint or international supervision.

Behind this, however, remains the core Pakistani goal of gaining control of the Kashmir Valley, where most of the Muslim population is concentrated. Musharraf explicitly rejected the one option that India is most likely to accept: making the current truce line into a permanent boundary.

This impasse cannot be quickly overcome. But an improvement in India-Pakistan relations need not be held hostage to a Kashmir agreement. There is a range of other, more urgent, questions on the agenda – from creating mechanisms to prevent an outbreak of nuclear war to sharing water resources.

Having lived in both countries, I am confident that most Indians and Pakistanis would welcome a warming of relations. Pakistan’s middle class and entrepreneurs look longingly at India’s high-tech-driven economy. From trade to tourism, there are great opportunities to be exploited on both sides. Despite their bitter past, the two countries share a culture and history.

The world has a great stake in encouraging this engagement. It reduces the risk of a war that could go nuclear. And it draws Pakistan away from radical Islam, encouraged by its ties to the Middle East, and toward Islamic moderation, reinforced by an identity as a South Asian nation.

Gen. Musharraf claims to share this goal. But the Pakistani military, which he heads, has also used hostility with India as the main justification for its continued rule and for blocking democratic government.

If the army is really ready to give up its hold on power, then the path to a long-term peace between India and Pakistan will be much easier. In the meantime, the best course is to build trust, step by step.