NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) applied pressure on India and Pakistan to talk peace instead of war as villagers fled border areas on Sunday while more troops and tanks took up positions.

In separate telephone calls to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee (news - web sites), Bush made his first personal effort to prevent a fourth conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

In Pakistan, the military began thinning out troops patrolling its western border with Afghanistan (news - web sites) in search of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) on Saturday as it bolstered its forces on the eastern border with India.

``We have received orders to move,'' one soldier said when asked why they were leaving the Afghan frontier. ``You know what's going on there or what may happen,'' he said, apparently referring to the troop build-up on the border with India and fears of war.

India and Pakistan have reinforced their joint border with troops and equipment, including tanks, fighter jets and artillery in the biggest such build-up in almost 15 years.

Tension between the two countries has increased sharply since a December 13 attack on India's parliament in which 14 people were killed, including the five assailants, and threatens to hamper the U.S. war on terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan.

India blames two Pakistan-based guerrilla groups fighting its rule in Kashmir (news - web sites) for the attack and says it has reached the end of its patience in dealing with what it calls cross-border terrorism. The groups have denied any involvement and Pakistan says it has arrested dozens of militants.