SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 8: Until last week, the American diplomatic effort to head off a war between India and Pakistan had focused sharply on stopping incursions into occupied Kashmir, however, after his visit to India and Pakistan, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has relaxed his pressure on Islamabad, says Los Angeles Times.

This abrupt tilt toward Islamabad has provoked Indian distrust of US bona fides that will make it difficult for Washington to continue acting as a de facto mediator between the two nuclear- armed South Asian rivals, the paper said in an editorial.

Mr Powell declared that India should permit an “international presence” to observe the October balloting, “to show the world that it is a free, open, fair election.”

The American newspaper went on to say that the new American tilt toward Islamabad was also reflected in the fact that Mr Powell pointedly avoided calling on Pakistan to dis-mantle the training camps and communications facilities on its side of the Kashmir ceasefire line.

So long as this infrastructure remains in place, Pakistan can adjust the level of infiltration at will, preventing the return to normalcy that is necessary for meaningful elections.

However, Los Angeles Times called on the United States to urge Pakistan to support the elections as the first step toward a dialogue between India and Pakistan on Kashmir.

Before beneficial discussions can take place, New Delhi will have to negotiate on autonomy with a new, more representative government in the Indian-ruled portion.

If India and the Kashmiris under its control could reach an accommodation on autonomy, the stage would be set for a dialogue between Islamabad and the Kashmiris in Azad Kashmir for a comparable degree of autonomy.

India and Pakistan could then discuss recognition of the cease- fire line as a permanent international boundary; interchange between the two parts of Kashmir; a pullback of the forces of both sides; and a reduction of the Indian and Pakistani forces stationed in both parts of the state.