The threat of nuclear war has raised the stakes in the India-Pakistan conflict.

Here you see the leader of India on the left, and the leader of Pakistan on the right. Manmohan Singh is the prime minister of India, and has been in office since 2004. The president of Pakistan is Asif Ali Zardari, and he has only been in office a few months. His wife, Benazir Bhutto, had been running for president of Pakistan when she was killed in another terrorist attack. After her death, Mr. Zardari was elected president. He said he was very much against the attacks. But because of his inexperience, and because of the power that anti-India groups hold in Pakistan, many people wonder if Mr. Zardari has much control in his country. Why do you think this is a concern?

India and Pakistan have both had nuclear weapons since 1998. Why do you think both countries wanted to get nuclear weapons? Even though nobody uses nuclear weapons, many countries want to have them to discourage any enemies who might want to attack them. Do you think having nuclear weapons makes countries safer, or less safe? Because of the risk of nuclear war, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited both India and Pakistan's leaders. She urged Pakistan to track down members of the terrorist group who may have helped plan the Mumbai attacks. But the government of Pakistan is under pressure not to give in to India's demands. Secretary of State Rice also warned India not to retaliate harshly against Pakistan, even though many Indians are very angry at Pakistan right now. What else do you think could be done to resolve this conflict peacefully?

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