Meeting between Pakistani and Indian leaders postponed

The South Asian summit where Indian and Pakistani leaders were due to meet today has been postponed until tomorrow because of the delayed arrival of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Nepal, the summit hosts, said Musharraf is due to arrive later today, several hours later than expected.

No explanation was given for the delay.

Mr Musharraf is currently in China, where he had flown to visit Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and to avoid flying through Indian airspace on his way to Nepal.

Both Pakistan and India have banned each other from using their respective airspace as part the latest stand-off over the disputed province of Kashmir.

Pakistani and Indian leaders are expected to meet at the summit in Nepal this week in an effort to prevent the two nuclear powers from fighting another war.