Monitor

All the News of the World The Kashmir peace talks collapse and violence escalates

THE TWO subcontinental leaders have met and returned home, smug in the feeling that they did not compromise their core positions. Hence the booming of guns along the lines of communication should not sound too jarring to their ears. Their inflexibility, however, has let the people of this region down once again. The Americans say they would continue making efforts to bring these two countries to some sense and civilisation. They ought to know that arms-twisting someone with a nuclear device hidden in his basement requires tremendous patience.

Frontier Post, Pakistan

NOTHING SHOULD prevent the Pakistan military from displaying the utmost vigilance and from giving the Indian side as good as it gets. If India under the belligerent leadership of the BJP imposes a situation not of Pakistan's seeking, it should be under no illusion about Pakistan's response. If India tries any adventure in Kashmir, it should be in no doubt that it will get a befitting response.

Dawn, Pakistan

PAKISTAN CLEARLY does not want any relaxation of tension. Nothing else explains its sudden loss of interest in the talks. While returning the fire, therefore, India must keep the lines of communication open so that the conditions remain well under control. Even those in Pakistan who believe an act of brinkmanship will help their cause must realise that an escalation of conflict will make the ultimate task of resolving the problems more difficult. India, too, will have to be on guard that it does not fall into a trap set by the desperate elements in Pakistan's ruling troika.

The Hindustan, India

THE SITUATION needs to be defused but it is not possible without India and Pakistan entering into a dialogue across the table instead of talking in the language of guns and rockets. Pakistan should not shun talks that include Kashmir... [these] are in our interest even if they are to continue for the sake of talking to each other. India should not be allowed to wriggle out of these as it appeared to be trying to do in Colombo, and there were some reports in our media which indicated that our hawks were ready to follow the same course.

The Nation, Pakistan