NEW DELHI, Sept 17: Indian media on Saturday reacted with misgivings, fear and hope to the summit talks between Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and President Gen Pervez Musharraf in New York.

“The Indo-Pakistan peace process has entered a difficult zone. Neither country can afford complacency,” said the Indian Express.

“While India and Pakistan have put on a brave face over the lack of progress in the talks between Dr Singh and Gen Musharraf in New York on Wednesday night, there is no doubt that the peace process has entered a dangerous moment,” it said.

Describing the peace process as riding a bicycle, the Express said, “Stop pedalling, and you fall down. At New York, Dr Singh and Gen Musharraf came close to a pause in the peace process.”

According to the newspaper the nub of the current difficulty is managing the complex linkage between India’s concerns on cross-border terrorism and Pakistan’s interest in Indian political gestures on Kashmir.

Pakistan has sought measures such as Indian troop reduction and internal ceasefire in Kashmir in return for controlling the flow of cross-border infiltration in recent weeks. But the Express said that hardliners in the Indian establishment have insisted that Delhi cannot act without evidence of an extended commitment on the part of Pakistan to bring down violence in Kashmir.

“On the face of it, India’s wait and watch attitude seems sensible. But failing to act at this moment could only lend credence to those in Pakistan who argue that India will never respond to its gestures on terrorism and that removing the gun will leave India with no incentive to talk on Kashmir.”

Urging both countries to “press on with the detente”, The Hindu said it was unrealistic to expect Dr Singh and Gen Musharraf to give a major boost to India-Pakistan relations each time they meet.

Beginning with the agenda-setting Vajpayee-Musharraf meeting during the Islamabad Saarc summit in January 2004, détente has made spirited progress and the overall character of bilateral relations has been transformed beyond recognition, The Hindu said.

It noted that people-to-people contacts had multiplied and productive steps taken to stablish trade and economic linkages.

“While none of the major issues in contention is settled after two rounds of the composite dialogue, there has been sufficient momentum in the exchanges to justify the claim that détente between India and Pakistan has become irreversible,” it said.

There could be a loss of momentum if these issues are not addressed by the time the third round of the dialogue takes place in January 2006, The Hindu warned.