Keep talking, India, Pakistan urged

By IANS,

Islamabad: Pakistani newspapers Saturday blamed the tough stance by India and Pakistan for the stalemate in their peace talks, but urged the two to keep talking.


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“There was little hope of a meaningful breakthrough during the Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna’s visit and that’s exactly what occurred… In fact, even lesser expectations were not met,” the Dawn said in its editorial “Keep Talking”.

The newspaper, one of the most reputed English dailies, said the pro-peace brigade was “losing and appears to have been defeated by the hawkish camp”.

It said while the Mumbai attack remains a “core concern of India”, the “security apparatus (in Pakistan) is increasingly hawkish on India and is in no mood to make any concessions whatsoever to enemy No.1”.

On an optimistic note, the Dawn said: “Rational and sensible people on both sides will be hoping” that the talks resume.

“The two sides must ensure that they keep talking to each other. The constituency for peace in India and Pakistan is elastic – engagement will ensure that constituency grows. No talks, though, would mean that the Mumbai attackers have won and the people of South Asia have lost,” it said.

The Daily Times in its editorial “hoped that this temporary hiccup would not let the process be derailed and better sense would prevail after a cooling off period”.

The Times said Krishna’s statement that not “a shred of evidence” of India’s involvement in Balochistan was given “should settle the issue once and for all. Both sides should refrain from political point scoring”.

It took a dig at the Pakistani foreign minister saying “Qureshi’s remarks about Krishna constantly taking calls from Delhi during the meeting were regrettable”.

The News said the “much-hyped foreign minister level talks between Pakistan and India led nowhere at all”, but maintained that “there is really no option but to move towards peace and find the courage to abandon familiar, old positions in favour of something new”.

Advocating “a radical change in attitudes, a fresh vision and a new sense of dynamism”, The News said: “This will come only if people can be pushed forward into the picture and used to build up the momentum needed to take talks forward, past the awkward bends in the road and the tendency of some drivers to apply the brakes too hard.”

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