Dawn discourages war-mongering Pakistans leading English daily,Dawn struck a placatory note with its Indian readership in its cogent editorial on Monday. Underscoring the remedial action CBMs can have over the wounded relationship between Pakistan and India,it discouraged further war-mongering. Pakistan has expressed regret at the Indian decision to freeze the composite dialogue process. The Indian Foreign Minister termed the suspension as a pause. One hopes these signify differences of a semantic nature. It is encouraging that PM Yousuf Raza Gilani has declared his governments unwavering commitment to the dialogue process. But he has resorted to finger-pointing to hold India responsible for bringing the two countries to square one If he means business,he should work to put an end to the war of words that has devastated the atmospherics in the region .On New Years Day,Islamabad and New Delhi exchanged their lists of nuclear. They have been issuing visas,the bus service continues and trade across the LoC has not been halted. Shouldnt we be focusing on this? Durrani shot from the lip Ardeshir Cowasjee in Dawn,dissected the expulsion of Mahmud Ali Durrani and questioned the retention of others who had joined him in owning Ajmal Kasab as a Pakistani. Durrani shot from the hip and admitted Kasab was a national of Pakistan. He was followed by a senior government official,a spokesman of the foreign office,and the minister of information. The Foreign Office added Kasab would not be accorded consular help - how can a national of Pakistan be denied help if sought? Durrani was sacked and accused of having tarnished the national image. None of the others were touched. Peace talks in Amritsar Despite the tense mood at the Wagah-Attari border,a peace delegation from Pakistan crossed over into Amritsar at the invitation of the Hind-Pak Dosti Manch. Papers carried the story,awash with delegates quotes. The News reported: A peace moot between activists from Pakistan and India was held at Amritsar to defuse tensions. They welcomed Pakistans admission of the involvement of Pakistanis in the Mumbai terror act,which they said,should have come much earlier Kashmir and West Asia,a comparison At a time when inflammatory remarks between India and Pakistan are best avoided,Gilani made an unfair comparison between the West Asian crisis and the strife in Kashmir as he likened the two. Daily Times carried an editorial spelling out the difference between the two places. He deplored the silence of the international community on the atrocities being committed in Kashmir and Gaza. On Kashmir,he said people were being subjected to oppression and suppression because they demanded the right to self-determination Political parties like National Conference say the solution to Kashmir remains pending Palestine has UN Resolutions in its favour allowing self-determination in a separate state side-by-side with Israel,giving the latter its right to exist. The Kashmiris want self-determination as per the UN Resolutions but do not challenge Indias right to exist. Compiled by Ruchika Talwar
