UNITED NATIONS, 16 September 2005 — India will never compromise with cross-border terrorism in Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told world leaders yesterday, a day after peace talks with rival neighbor Pakistan.

In a speech at the UN summit in New York, Manmohan said India had faced incursions by Pakistan-based militants in the divided Kashmir region for years.

“We shall never succumb to or compromise with terror, in Kashmir or elsewhere,” he said. India accuses Pakistan of training, arming and funding a longstanding Muslim insurgency in Indian Kashmir.

Islamabad denies the charge but admits extending moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris seeking independence from India.

Manmohan and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf held lengthy summit talks on Wednesday, after which they pledged to pursue a slow-moving peace process launched in January last year.

But analysts said their meeting in New York appeared to have made little, if any, progress.

A joint statement by Manmohan and Musharraf after a late Wednesday meeting said they were committed to a peaceful resolution of all disputes, including Kashmir.

“The two leaders ... reiterated their pledge not to let terrorism impede the peace process,” said the statement read out by Musharraf to reporters in Manmohan’s presence. “They expressed their commitment to ensure a peaceful settlement of all pending issues including Jammu and Kashmir to the satisfaction of both sides.”

“They agreed that possible options for a peaceful, negotiated settlement in this regard should continue to be pursued in a sincere spirit and purposeful manner,” the statement said.

Analysts said the meeting had not carried the peace process forward because it did not lead to expected announcements of India cutting troops in Kashmir and Pakistan pledging more curbs on militants operating in the region.

India’s NDTV news channel said sources described the nearly four-hour meeting, which included dinner, as “tense and strained.”

“It’s obvious that there are bottlenecks which have not been cleared,” South Asia analyst S.D. Muni said. “We were expecting a detailed joint statement. I understand that a draft was prepared. The fact that it has not been issued indicates that serious differences persist.”

Senior Pakistani journalist and editor of the Daily Times, Najam Sethi, was also pessimistic. “I do not expect a joint statement on the sidelines of the United Nations summit to come up with any major breakthroughs,” he said. “I think the leaders are on track. I think they understand each other well.” The two leaders did not take any questions, but in a brief comment, Manmohan said he was “very satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.”

Television reports in India and Pakistan said Musharraf invited Manmohan to visit Pakistan and the invitation was accepted. Ties between the old rivals have improved since they launched a peace process in January 2004, but they have still to make substantive progress on the core dispute over Kashmir.

Before his meeting with Manmohan, Musharraf told the UN General Assembly talks with India should be “result-oriented.”

“Our nations must not remain trapped by hate and history, in a cycle of confrontation and conflict,” he said. “It is essential to find a just solution to the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir acceptable to Pakistan, India and above all, to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”