The President of Pakistan, Mr Pervez Musharraf, has welcomed steps to improve ties with rival India, including a bus service across divided Kashmir, but says a real solution to their dispute has to be found.
Speaking at a National Day parade at which Pakistan's armed forces showed off nuclear-capable missiles, as well as jets and tanks, Musharraf said Pakistan wanted peace but would continue to support the people of Kashmir in their struggle.
"Between India and Pakistan, confidence-building measures and meaningful negotiations should continue. But if the real issues remain unsolved, then these confidence-building measures will also lose their impact," he said on Wednesday.
The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought three wars since 1947, two of them over Muslim-majority Kashmir, but they have taken steps to improve ties since nearly going to war again in 2002.
They have strengthened diplomatic, commercial, sporting and transport links but have made little headway over Kashmir, which is at the heart of their hostility, apart from an agreement to launch a bus service across the Himalayan region on April 7.
"I welcome the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service," Musharraf said, referring to the main cities in Pakistani- and Indian-controlled Kashmir.
"This will bring relief to the hardship of the Kashmiri people and will provide opportunities to families to meet on both sides. But this bus service is not a solution to the Kashmir issue. It's only a step toward confidence building."
Muslim separatist rebels have been battling security forces in Indian Kashmir since 1989. Tens of thousands have been killed in the violence although it has fallen off with improving relations between Pakistan and India.