NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's invitation to Pakistan's military ruler and now president, Pervez Musharraf, for talks -- after refusing to do so for two years -- is the best one could have hoped for in the volatile, nuclear-charged subcontinent.
Pakistan has been sensible enough to reciprocate the gesture. Musharraf's warning to Pakistani fundamentalists not to get into situations that will make it easier for the world community to denounce Islamabad is one important sign.
Another is the changing mind-set in Pakistan, certainly even among the military generals, who are now willing to talk peace with India, despite Kashmir. This issue, they feel, can be tackled later. But what cannot wait is the process of normalizing relations with the big neighbor.