THE shared tragedy confronting India and Pakistan in disputed Kashmir could pay dividends for the fragile peace process, experts said yesterday after a massive earthquake left thousands dead there.

India and Pakistan today signed a deal requiring them to notify each other of plans for ballistic missile tests, a key step in the peace process between the two nuclear-armed rivals. However, India warned that militant attacks in Kashmir could derail the thaw in relations.

Senior foreign ministry officials from Pakistan and India began talks today to review progress in their peace process, started a year and a half ago to end decades of hostile relations.

The Taliban has bolstered their garrison in Kabul, as Pakistan expressed new pessimism over prospects for resolving the stand-off over Osama bin Laden.