NEW YORK, Dec 28: The United States should actively intervene, by sending a special envoy to the region, to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan, major newspapers and experts here said.

In an editorial the New York Times said: “Washington should intensify its efforts to ease the crisis. Secretary of State Colin Powell has communicated with both General Musharraf and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of India. In the coming days Mr Powell, or some other American envoy, may need to intervene more actively. Among other things, the United States can help both countries improve their inadequate communication lines.”

The Times noted that after the attack on the Indian parliament, President Bush froze the assets of groups believed to have sponsored the militants who carried out the assault.

Over the weekend, President Musharraf froze the assets of Lashkar-i-Tayyaba (army of the pure), and also moved against a smaller group known as Ummah Tameer-i-Nau, run by two former Pakistani nuclear scientists.

Instead of welcoming General Musharraf’s action, India has persisted in building up its forces, from Kashmir in the North to Rajasthan in the South. Pakistan has responded in kind, and sporadic gunfire has erupted in the last few days, the Times said.

It is long past time when they should have begun sharing information on military deployments, weapons tests and their nuclear safeguards.

Criticizing President Bush the Times said after taking office Mr Bush shelved the intensive effort by the Clinton administration to broker a deal between India and Pakistan to curb nuclear activities, including the testing of weapons.

Now, propelled in part by the war against terrorism, Washington has no choice but to build on its new friendship with both India and Pakistan to get these two countries talking to each other. Kashmir remains one of the most dangerous flashpoints in the world.

“A war between India and Pakistan would be ruinous to both nations, and devastating to American efforts to sustain an international coalition against terrorism,”

Similarly, the Christian Science Monitor said that the rising tensions between Pakistan and India demand an energetic response from the United States. The successful campaign in Afghanistan must not give way to an ominous conflict between South Asia’s two nuclear powers

The paper observed that India has demanded that Pakistan crack down on these groups and turn their leaders over to New Delhi for trial. For his part, Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf has arrested some militants and frozen their assets.