From WNYC in New York, this is NPR's On the Media. I'm Brooke Gladstone.

And I'm Bob Garfield. The war against terrorism is momentarily quiet, but looming on the horizon

is a far more volatile conflict between India and Pakistan, mainly over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Troop deployments by both nuclear powers are ominous and the media rhetoric bellicose.

Joining us once again to discuss the foreign coverage of that region is Martin Walker, Chief Correspondent for United Press International.

Martin, India's stated rationale for its hard line on Pakistan is its belief that Pakistan is

at a minimum giving aid and comfort to terrorists in the disputed territory of Kashmir.

In the Pakistani press, is there any acknowledgement of that relationship between terrorist

acts and the Pakistani government?

Yes, there is.

The Frontier Post, which is published in Peshawar.

That's an independent daily newspaper, actually says that the Pakistani government really

has to meet this demand.

After the 9-11 episode, it says, the world has been transformed dramatically.

Our government has to come to grips with the militant groups working on their own agendas

under the guise of the Kashmir cause, not because the Indians want it, nor because the Americans want it,

but because Pakistan's own national interests and the Kashmir cause demand it.

I find that a strikingly moderate statement from one of the main Pakistani papers, and it contrasts with an editorial in

the Times of India, which is the establishment newspaper of India, which actually sent chills down

my spine when I read it. And it says, a cross-border military strike is fraught with all manner of consequences,

including the possibility of a nuclear exchange.

While this alone need not deter India, eke,

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