JAMMU, India?In what could be a significant reduction of war readiness, the Indian army has withdrawn three strike divisions?about 18,000 men?from the Pakistan frontier, high-ranking army and government officials said Tuesday.

The Defense Ministry denied the movements, however, and India’s deputy prime minister made a bellicose speech to Parliament, claiming India’s right to all of the disputed region of Kashmir.

On the Pakistani side, the military opened 10 days of war games, saying it had the capability to defend its territorial integrity.

The mixed signals were indicative of the political sensitivity of de-escalation and the tough task awaiting Secretary of State Colin Powell and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw when they visit the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors this month to nudge them toward dialogue.