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Pak media responds positively to invitation

Reacting positively to India's invitation to military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan media Thursday saw this as the "biggest challenge" for any Pakistani leader since Zulfikar Ali Bhutto went to Shimla after the 1971 war.

While cautioning that it would be a mistake if Musharraf went to Delhi in a "triumphant mood of having forced the Indians to their knees," editorials in newspapers said Islamabad must "jump" at this opportunity as it provided a "ray of light at the end of the long dark tunnel".

The invitation was also the first opportunity for structured talks between the two countries since 1972 Simla agreement.

However, they warned the major initiative might turn out to be a damp squib if it merely ended in agreeing to "talk about talks".

"Pakistan must... jump at this opportunity and accept the invitation. Gen Musharraf has been saying for months; talks anywhere, any time, any place. At the same time our government also needs to examine the latest development from every angle. It must ensure that talks are meaningful and substantial," The News said.

The Nation said the invitation was the first opportunity for structured talks between the two countries since the visit of late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Simla to meet Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after the 1972 Indo-Pakistan war.

It remains to be seen how Musharraf handles the challenge, which is the greatest of his career," The Nation said.

Islamabad would be "making a mistake if it sent the military ruler to Delhi in a triumphant mood of having forced the Indians to their knees," it said.

"It is indeed the biggest challenge, not just for Musharraf, but perhaps for any Pakistani leader since Bhutto went to Simla," the paper said.

The News said the Indian decision implied that India had been forced to come to terms with ground reality in Kashmir.

"It is a breakthrough of sorts but also breakdown of the Indian policy, reflected in the scrapping of the six-month-old ceasefire in Kashmir," it said

"By inviting Musharraf for talks, the Vajpayee government has in a way broken the self-imposed impasse created after Kargil. India has admitted, albeit implicitly, that it cannot proceed an inch forward to resolve the Kashmir issue without involving Pakistan," the daily said.

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