Pak media takes a dim view of visit

Although the sober Dawn is yet to take an editorial position on the visit, The Nation is quite clear""it lambastes the President for climbing down from Pakistan's "principled" position on Kashmir""it is either the implementation of the UN resolution, or nothing.

The Nation notes that the failure of the Agra Summit, while regrettable, at least succeeded in getting the Musharraf to do some "blunt talking on Kashmir being the core issue". Since then, according to The Nation, it has been a series of compromises on Pakistan's part"" especially the international pressure that made it dissolve the distinction between a "freedom fighter" and a "terrorist", and club both in the same category.

But, despite that, at Agra at least, the newspaper points out, beating about the Kashmir bush was ended. But now, the paper says, Musharraf does not appear to stand so firm. The paper notes that Pakistan's negotiating position is now weaker. For one, Pakistan has accepted a series of confidence-building measures "which have generally been on India's wish list rather than Pakistan's".

The paper says India has maintained its stand that there can be no revision of boundaries, implying that the LoC can be converted into a "soft border", but it cannot be changed. On the other hand, instead of implementing the UN resolution, Pakistan has come round to accepting an "out of the box solution".

The paper says this should have been matched by Indian reciprocity but there is no evidence of this. It notes that at least Musharraf has said during his visit that CBMs are diluting the focus on Kashmir.

The paper blames Indian stubbornness for leading Islamabad "to all but abandon the UN resolutions, which provide a just and eminently practical solution". It hopes that there "will be no further climbing down to satisfy a would-be regional hegemony".

A letter to the editor in Dawn does, however, warn that the continuing military engagement between India and Pakistan, and the possibilities of a war between the two nations, will invariably go in India's favour. It, therefore, welcomes the thaw in the ties between India and Pakistan.