India, Pakistan need to rein in their animosity

The escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed countries, over the past two days have stirred worries over an all-out conflict in South Asia if the military confrontation escalates out of control.

Major world powers have unanimously called on both countries to keep calm. As a good neighbor of both Pakistan and India, China, in particular, has expressed "deep concern" over the situation, urging the two arch rivals to "exercise restraint" and resolve their dispute through dialogue.

It is a relief that the two governments have pledged to act with restraint and responsibility. But with nationalistic hysteria being on the rise in both countries, their leaders will have to work hard to ensure they are not hijacked by the mood of the public, especially after tit-for-tat air-strikes in which both sides claimed they shot down each other's fighter jets and the Pakistanis said they captured at least one Indian pilot.