India and Pakistan showed a rare united front in condemnation of today's Indian train bombing, raising hopes that the nuclear-armed neighbours’ peace process can stay on track.

Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s President, described the attack that killed 67 people as “heinous” but said it would not be allowed to stop the peace process that began in 2004.

Pakistan also said its foreign minister would continue to visit India as planned tomorrow, even though most of the victims were Pakistanis and some Pakistani officials have blamed Hindu extremists.

“We will not allow elements which want to sabotage the ongoing peace process to succeed in their nefarious designs,” a government statement quoted General Musharraf as saying.

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The feeling on both sides is that this will not have a hugely detrimental effect on peace negotiations between India and Pakistan, and could even bring them together

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Background

• Playing a cunning game of survival in the war zone

• Under siege — but can nuclear treaty survive?

• Kashmir Compromise

• Musharraf raises hope of lasting peace with offer to give up claim on Kashmir

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• Indian train blasts

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• Musharraf raises hope of lasting peace with offer to give up claim on Kashmir

“Such wanton acts of terrorism will only serve to further strengthen our resolve to attain the mutually desired objective of sustainable peace between the two countries.”

Indian authorities said that two suitcases packed with crude unexploded bombs and bottles of petrol were found in undamaged train cars, indicating the fire was sparked by similar explosive devices placed in two other carriages which were almost entirely burnt out.

Some of the victims, who were largely Muslims from Pakistan, remained trapped for 30 minutes in the blazing carriages even after the train came to a stop.

Some Pakistani officials did criticise their Indian counterparts for having locked the doors of the train and failed to pass them a list of the dead and missing.

But analysts and diplomats said the absence of more substantial recriminations reflected the progress that has been made in the peace process despite recent upsets.

Pakistan and India, which have fought three wars since winning independence from Britain, launched a peace process in January 2004 and re-opened the train links between them soon afterwards.

India suspended the negotiations after an attack on commuter trains in Bombay last July that left 185 dead, but re-opened talks at the end of last year.

Sources on both sides say that they are edging towards a possible agreement on the disputed region of Kashmir and on withdrawing troops from the Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world.

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