Media watch: Criticism on both sides of the border

Pakistani and Indian media critcise the Indian government for failing to achieve peace in Kashmir.

Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.

Repression in Kashmir

While at it, we can only feel astonished at the lack of a response by the international community to the killings in Indian-held Kashmir. The silence of the world to the rights violations in the valley is a reflection on Pakistan’s diplomacy. (dawn.com)

India’s state terrorism

While the Indian leadership goes through the farce of expressing regret over these killings and declares the need to address the grievances of the Kashmiri people, the killings by Indian security forces cannot be taking place without the approval of the same leadership. (nation.com.pk)

Last chance in Kashmir

New Delhi made all efforts to make the chief minister and his government a success. It was liberal with funding and gave him the forces he asked for containing the situation. It gently nudged him to “reach out to the people” and deliver, but he failed and things came to such a pass that even normal developmental activity has come to a standstill. (hindustantimes.com)

Time to act

There was talk that the Centre may announce a political package close to Eid, but nothing happened. There's been no decision on the sensible proposal from a section of the government to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from parts of J&K. As the Centre vacillates, the state is burning. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

A bonfire of vanities

But the fact that Islamists were so easily able to exploit the issue points to a larger breakdown of faith in both democratic politics and dialogue with the state. For that, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ambitious but pathetically executed pursuit of peace is at least in part to blame. Efforts to engage secessionists in dialogue, promises of phased demilitarisation, and a final peace deal with Pakistan itself: each of these enterprises ended in impasse. (thehindu.com)