In the wake of a series of deadly attacks in India's financial capital that captivated the world's attention for three days, newspaper editorials from regional and world powers weigh in.
India
Deadly referendum (The Times of India): The ability of a handful of "murderous psychopaths" to hold out against one of the world's largest nations for days demonstrates "the soft underbelly of the republic."
It's referendum time for India. Are we going to remain weak and vulnerable to repeated assault because of our inner divisiveness? Or are we going to beat the bastards, are we going to triumph over terror by surviving it, not on its dehumanising terms but on our own terms of a proudly free society and a strong and cohesive democracy impervious and unsusceptible to the exploitative politics of caste, creed and ethnic division? It's time to choose.
Pakistan
Fighting terror jointly (Dawn): A "thinly veiled reference" by India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to possible Pakistani involvement in the attacks has led to "a round of Pakistan-bashing" by India's media outlets. If India's government has any real evidence of Pakistani involvement, however, they should step forward and publicly offer concrete evidence.
[...] it is in our interest to unearth and destroy sponsors of yet more terrorism in our midst. But without a sensible approach from the Indian side, Pakistan is bound to bristle and react defensively, sparking a new round of blame and counter-blame. Following the attacks on the Indian parliament in December 2001, the cycle nearly ended up in a catastrophic war between the two countries. The only winners in the event of an escalation in hostility between India and Pakistan will be the terrorists in both countries. But Pakistan cannot afford to be smug as India suffers. We have a grave problem of militancy and the attacks in Mumbai are a grim reminder of the endless possibilities of terror.
United Kingdom
Mumbai attacks: Pakistan is the key (The Daily Telegraph): The "brutality" of the attacks have unfortunately stirred up diplomatic tensions between two nuclear powers -- India and Pakistan.
Pakistan as a nation must realise that its future rests on eradicating the Islamist terrorists training in the tribal areas in its north-western territories; on purging extremist elements from the ISI, the intelligence wing of its military; and in halting the jihadist indoctrination of young people (including Britons, given their suspected involvement in the Bombay atrocity) in its Saudi-funded madrassas.
United States
Mumbai (The Baltimore Sun): After this crisis, the "international community" needs to come together, and President-Elect Barack Obama should make informing the American people of how he plans to protect Americans worldwide a priority.
Initial reports from the terrorist attacks in India's financial capital suggested that American and British hotel guests were targeted. But the duration of the attacks - over three days - and the choice of iconic landmarks in Mumbai reveal a broader agenda: India's economic progress and standing in the international community. The alarming scale and sophistication of the Mumbai attacks should have the global anti-terrorist network working overtime to help the Indian government identify the origin and motive of the perpetrators.