Kasabs conviction gets mixed deal in Pak media

Like it or not,there are fundamental issues between the two countries that have to be resolved; but by holding everything hostage to the terrorism issue,India may have in fact given the terrorists a perverse incentive to try harder the next time, it warned in an editorial.

India needs to accept that peace in South Asia will not be possible until the legitimate and genuine issues of concern to Pakistan are resolved to the satisfaction of both sides, it said.

However,the conviction yesterday of Pakistani national Kasab,the lone surviving terrorist from the Mumbai attacks,should help give some closure to the victims families and India on an ugly chapter in the countrys history. The Dawn said Pakistan and India also need to learn the right lessons from experience, including measures to prevent another Mumbai-like incident.

It said: First,it is fairly clear that the attacks were launched to push Pakistan and India apart,and perhaps even to the brink of war. That common sense ultimately prevailed is a good thing.

But there were enough warning signs to suggest that common sense may not necessarily prevail the next time,so everything possible must be done to prevent a repeat. Both countries also need to realise that South Asia and the relations between Islamabad and Delhi are only becoming more complicated as the years pass by, it said.

The two sides will need great will to tackle several pressing issues,the daily cautioned.

Afghanistan has become a bone of contention; military doctrines such as Indias Cold Start can lead to undesirable consequences in a nuclear-armed subcontinent; and perhaps potentially more serious than any other dispute the water shortage places an increasing burden on the leadership of the two countries, it said.

The Nation,which is known for its anti-India views,said Kasabs conviction was no surprise,given how the deck was loaded against him from the start..