One month has passed since fighting broke out between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Despite reassurances from both governments that the fighting will be contained, the conflict has intensified. The risk of escalation is ever-present, but neither government seems to take the danger seriously. Instead, posturing is taking pride of place over peacemaking. It is a dangerous gambit.

Many questions hang over the fighting. The remoteness of the battlefield has made it impossible to obtain independent confirmation of many of the claims made by the two governments. Originally, India said that the infiltrators were Afghan guerrillas supported by the Pakistani government; now it asserts that they are mostly Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan in turn says that it has no relationship with the Mujahedeen soldiers who are fighting a jihad (holy war) to secure Kashmir's independence from India. The number of casualties is disputed, as is the location of the fighting. That last piece of information is vital: New Delhi said that the two Indian Air Force planes that were shot down were in Indian airspace, a charge Pakistan disputes. If it is true, Pakistan has seriously escalated the fighting.

In a moment of honesty, Pakistan's prime minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, reportedly warned last weekend that "events could slip out of control." Unfortunately, there seems to be little stomach for the measures such realism would promote: The government in Islamabad promptly denied that Mr. Sharif ever said any such thing.