LONDON: Amid widespread condemnation of the Mumbai blasts and praise for the city's resilience as it quickly bounced back to life, South Asia observers on Wednesday voiced concern over the future of India-Pakistan relations as a result of Tuesday's attacks.

The blasts were widely seen here as an attempt to destabilise the peace process with analysts noting that although Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf had been quick to condemn them suspicions about "Pakistani hand" would remain, given the long history of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism against India.

Charulata Hogg of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, also known as Chatham House, said the attacks were likely to play into the hands of those in India who were opposed to the peace process.

"Much would depend on how much pressure there is on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take a harder line against Pakistan and how he responds to that pressure," she said adding that "domestic compulsions" would play a large part in how New Delhi handled the issue.

The Guardian noted that there were "many in India who are already suspicious of the role played by Pakistan's powerful intelligence services in supporting jihadi groups." In an editorial, under the heading "Murder in Mumbai," the paper however warned against jumping to "any conclusions" and said it would be "wrong for hotheads to mount reprisals that would play into the hands of hate-mongering fanatics."

The Times said that India had become an "obstacle to the extremist cause" because of the rapprochement with Pakistan, its strong democratic values and growing importance in the global economy.

"Both Mr. Singh and President Musharraf understand immediately the extremists' aims and the dangers to their societies... . Each has a personal commitment to rapprochement. And each understands that only determination, cooperation (including the sharing of intelligence) and a refusal to be pushed off course will thwart the extremist attempt to wreck relations," it commented editorially.

Special resonance

The Mumbai blasts were front-page news in Britain's national newspapers and television channels led with the story. For Londoners, still recovering from last year's July 7 bombings on the London Underground, the "massacre in Mumbai," as The Independent put it, had special resonance.

The blasts were condemned by the Council of Indian Muslims (U.K.) and the Baloch Action Committee (U.K.).

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