>> hello and welcome to "news week south asia." in this weeks episode, attacks in bahrain the clips india- pakistan talks.

now for all the details. prime ministers of india and pakistan met on the sidelines of the united nations general assembly. the idea was to ease tensions, but the terror incidents and, and attempted infiltration from the pakistani side influenced the talks and brought relations back to square one. the leaders of pakistan and india held their first official meeting in india of last week come a meeting with renewed promises of mutual restraint and kashmir, but little real hope for a fresh start in relations. the prime minister of india and the prime minister of pakistan shook hands for the cameras

before their long-anticipated meeting on the sidelines of the united nations general assembly, but despite the smiles, violence back home formed the backdrop to the encounter.

>> a series of cross-border artillery exchanges in the kashmir valley over the past two months has led to the death of at least eight soldiers on both sides and brought relations to the lowest and -- ebb in years. an explosion on a indian base caused the death of at least 10 people, causing an outcry in india. even after the talks, the indian army continued to be engaged against 35 wanted terrorists. unconfirmed reports suggest regular troops pakistan's army are involved in the current operation. more and more fingers are being pointed at no washer reform failing to rein in his forces -- pointed at nawar sharif for failing to rein in his forces.

opposition in india is making any forward momentum in building a relationship with pakistan in increasingly difficult. >> pakistan has always allowed its territory to be used against india for violence and terrorism . given the very strict vigil on the line of control, also from the pakistani side, how is it that people are crossing the line of control from the pakistani side every now and then without the active assistance of the pakistan army? >> however, amid rising tensions, families took a position to meet with the prime minister on the sidelines of the united nations general assembly positioned in new york.

he did not change his agenda even after the somber attack that took place while he was on the speaker block. there are many who point out that the decision is connected to the u.s. invasion. this could probably be the reason why both leaders did not hold a joint press conference or even issue a joint press note after the talks. questions were raised over the usefulness of any discussion between the two leaders, in view of the fact that sharif has yet to demonstrate effective control over the ayers and his country. >> the important thing is that we said -- the prime ministers said there are ways of handling issues that can make boundaries irrelevant, but there is no question of redrawing.

>> the prime minister did set an aggressive pace for the meeting by using some strong words during his meeting with president obama, and in his address to the united nations general assembly so are as pakistan is concerned. he called upon leadership to shut down the machinery. >> india is committed sincerely to resolving all issues with pakistan through bilateral dialogue. however, for progress to be made it is imperative that the territory of pakistan and the areas under its control are not

utilized for aiding and abetting terrorism directed against india. >> sharif, for all his sweet talk and eagerness to proceed with talks at the highest level, did not resist from calling a time-tested posture. it was no different from that of any of his predecessors. his effort to the alleged human rights violation said that suffering of the people cannot be brushed under the carpet. against this backdrop, the meeting between the two leaders already prophecies to live up to the prediction. it is said that the leaders avoided eye contact and were quite uncomfortable. the resulting statements were full of diplomatic rhetoric but

low on content. >> it was an extremely positive meeting. the meeting was held in a very positive environment. it was a useful meeting. the main purpose of the meeting, as you are all aware, was to create a conducive environment to discuss and ultimately resolve all our outstanding issues. the most significant aspect of the meeting was that the leaders expressed their commitment to have better relations between the two countries. during the meeting, the two leaders also discussed all issues and factors, which have contributed to the present state of relations between our two countries.

>> since the cease-fire violation formed a major part of the discussion, the two leaders decided to ask leaders of the armies to suggest effective methods to restore the cease- fire. the only positive result is that the countries have acknowledged that the cease-fire is under strain and something needs to be done to restore the situation. so far as the imprint of terror is concerned, sharif had no words to address concerns about continued support to the acclaimed international terrorist party and his organization. >> as i said, i think bonds -- both sides want a much better relationship, but in order to get there, i think today we are at the stage where we need to address the issues that we face today.

there have been incidents on the line. we have cease-fire violations. we need to do with those. we have terrorism-related issues also. we need to address those, and then we. but i'm not an astrologer. i cannot tell you the future, but the desire was clearly there on both sides to have a better relationship than we have today. >> experts say the most crucial aspect at the moment is sanctity of the line of control. continued cease-fire violations have the potential of escalating tension to an unmanageable degree. these can be contained only if pakistan is up on its policy of infiltration. i, therefore, will need to tone down the political engagement and concentrate on what makes

infiltration a costly and difficult operation -- i, therefore, will need to tone down the political engagement -- india. diplomatic efforts can, of course, go along simultaneously. >> lack of proper medical infrastructure has been keeping people from accessing quality health care. the problem is further compounded by experience drugs in the region. >> residents lacked basic medical facilities, but the problem has been confounded due to its -- due to spear he drugs

being sold in the region. it is a complicated issue, as it is under pakistan's control. the body tasked with the responsibility of ensuring distribution of quality medicines has been under the scanner for some time now. the city is expected to test drugs before granting approval for sale, but many a ledge that current practices have made these tests pointless. contractors and locals reportedly supply hundreds of consignments of fake ends. strokes here -- take and spuriously -- fake and spurious drugs here.

>> the remote region has 25 small health-care centers. officially, there are 14 doctors deployed over an area of the seven square miles, but in actual terms, not even those are available at work. the main town has only one city hospital, but its condition is apparently due to shortage of medicines, trained staff, and lack of patient facilities. respiratory diseases are common. with no immunization drive.

>> the men are the worst affected. there is -- women are the worst affected. there's not a single maternity center or gynecologist and the whole area. infant mortality here is high. one in 38 here dies during

childbirth. >> social and health indicators point to this is the worst in the world. pakistan, which controls this region, pays no attention to its development. despite the region being endowed with great natural wealth, about 1/3 of its population lives in poverty.

>> well, time now for a quick rate, but stay tuned. because coming up after the break, five indian states to go for old. it's the final reaction before the general election. and bollywood divas pay tribute to a filmmaker on his 81st birthday anniversary. welcome back. you are watching "news week south asia." let's move on now. it's a litmus test and semifinal of sorts for india's main opposition party's prime minister candidate. analysts believe elections are slated to take place in 2014. it's a big test for the body,

who challenges the incumbent's policies on all spheres. here's the report. india will hold five state elections in november and december, kicking off the contest that is expected to boost the profile. the poles set to begin on november 11 are seen as a runner-up for the national elections, which will be the world's biggest democratic exercise. most polls suggest popularity of economic growth at a time when india is suffering its worst slowdown in a decade. his party is trying to unseat the ruling party, which has been weakened by a string of corruption scandals, high inflation, and stuttering growth after nine years in power. however, it is counting on its record of support for the

population, which makes up 2/numeral tree of the population. -- 2/3 of the population. >> and i using elections -- they are now using elections to build a presence among voters unfamiliar with his promises. he has drawn large crowds across the country. he is india's most popular politician. in several states, he has been campaigning against the fourth-

generation of the dynasty that has dominated indian politics since independence from the british in 1947. in the november polls, voters will choose members to do sit in state assemblies, but there's a larger prize at stake. history suggests the results are likely to indicate the outcome of the general elections in the states, which together account for 73 of the 542 elected the i the lower house of parliament.

>> in new delhi, thousands of supporters will pass to a rally campaign posters.ght with the crowd applauded enthusiastically. >> now, let's move onto entertainment. bollywood actresses who acted in films made by the late director known as the king of romance remembered him on his 81st birthday anniversary in india's entertainment capital, mumbai. >> dollywood -- bollywood

actresses walked the ramp for the cinematic genius, remembering him on his 81st birthday anniversary in mumbai. he died on october 21, 2010, just weeks after announcing he would not direct any more movies. he was 80. he als owned one of the industry's biggest production hoes and studios. nine bollywood actresses paid tribute to the legendary director. the filmmaker proved his mettle with intensely emotional and tragic movies, many of which went on to become box office blockbusters.

>> all i want to say is a birthday is just another day, but he lives in our hearts forever and ever and ever. such a beautiful lives are very rare. i just want to thank him from the bottom of my heart for those warm late, moon-drenched, beautiful memories. >> he is survived by his wife and son. guest said he understood the pinner beauty of a woman. >> i think one of the reasons that all the ladies love him was he did not just judge a woman by her physicality or physical beauty or the way she looked. he really made an effort to get to know you and figure out what kind of person you were, what

kind of things you like, how to understand you, how to talk to you. > he alalso produced indian cinema's longest-running ter. his career spanned five decades, and his last film as to rector -- as director was. known for her captivating smile, the star of one of his blockbuster films appreciated his love for art and food. >> his art was something that i really appreciated, and his love for food. we would be having breakfast. he was discussing lunch. we were having lunch, he would be talking about dinner. so he had a huge appetite. we will really miss you. >> born in 1932, he was favored

by leading indian actors, with his movies seen as a surefire bet to become a hit with audiences. one bollywood superstar remembered an evening he spent with him on his 80th birthday in 2012 and said that he held women in high regard and often said they were his greatest creation. >> we celebrated his 80th birthday. i have the great privilege and the honor to speak with him and get an insight into what he believes in terms of love, life, cinema, and women, and the end of the evening we spent together, the one thing that stood out for all of us was one statement that he made, and the statement was embodying whatever he believed about women -- the regard, the respect, the passion he had for them.

the statement was that i believe the greatest creation of god is a woman. >> he made some of indian cinema's most memorable films. his flamboyant style of making movies and music became a hallmark enduring name. >> with that, we come to the end

of this edition of "news week south asia." will be back next week with more news, views, and analysis on the subcontinent. meanwhile, do keep writing in to us. on behalf of the entire production team of "news week south asia," goodbye. 

you hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. emergency teams are looking for dozens of missing residents on izu oshima after a powerful storm triggered flooding and landslides. typhoon wipha killed at least 18 people in eastern japan as it churned past the pacific coast. almost all of the victims lived on izu oshima. nhk world's michio kijima reports.