NEW DELHI, Aug 19: Indian newspapers said on Tuesday that the departure of President Pervez Musharraf was overdue but, even as they praised the dignity with which he was allowed to deliver his farewell address, they voiced apprehensions over Pakistan’s immediate future.

“While his is a more honourable exit than is normal with dictators, the real credit for this inspiring denouement must go to the people of Pakistan, their political parties, news media, and civil society institutions,” The Hindu said in an editorial. “There was plenty of discord within the ruling coalition on the way forward — but it held its ground thanks largely to the political resoluteness of Nawaz Sharif and the sobriety displayed by Asif Zardari.”

The Hindu said the former president made more worthwhile contributions to Pakistan’s overall policies than previous military dictators and New Delhi cannot overlook his contribution towards stabilising and improving the relationship between India and Pakistan — “learning perhaps from the Kargil misadventure”.

The Indian Express said Gen Musharraf had overstayed his welcome. “Just as he lingered on despite wearing out the popular welcome that greeted his military coup nine years ago (he) took nearly an hour on Monday afternoon to announce his resignation. Known for swagger rather than grace, Musharraf had refused to leave until it became absolutely impossible to stay.”

If the general elections of last February were a triumph for Pakistan’s traditionally weak democratic politics, the ouster of Musharraf through peaceful means should mark the welcome consolidation of constitutionalism, the Express said.

It voiced concern over the possible role the army would play in the country’s future. “New Delhi’s main question about Pakistan, for some time now, has not been Musharraf’s political future. It is about reconciling the civilian leaders’ positive sentiments towards India with the army’s vicious attempts to wreck bilateral ties. The current strains in the peace process can be reduced only when Pakistan’s civilian government exercises effective control over the army and the ISI, and takes charge of the engagement with India. That would indeed be a paradigm shift in Pakistan’s politics,” the Express said.

The Asian Age thought that it was because neither the United States nor the Pakistan Army was willing to support Gen Musharraf any longer that he had to quit. “It also became apparent that the United States no longer looked upon the retired general’s continuance as president with enthusiasm. Under his watch, America’s much-vaunted ‘war on terror’ had turned sour in the tribal belt straddling Pakistan and Afghanistan, which is now likely to have the highest density of the world’s terrorists.”According to the newspaper, Washington’s disenchantment with Gen Musharraf was rooted in his inability to tame the ISI.

The picture was not completely bleak for Pakistan. “If the election for the new president is conducted without incident within the stipulated 30 days and if the ISI is brought under civilian authority (a move that was recently scuttled by the outgoing president acting in concert with the army) in the near future, and if parliament can enact a reform package that takes away the president’s power to dismiss it, then Pakistan may be deemed to be on its way,” it said.

The Times of India said that extremism was not the only problem facing

Pakistan. “With financial markets tanking, the rupee losing ground and inflation running at 25 per cent, the country faces daunting challenges. Not getting a handle on them would lead to its current crop of rulers running out of political capital rapidly. It’s important that Pakistan’s mainstream political parties shelve political differences for the time being as they grapple with the country’s core challenges. Musharraf’s exit is only the beginning of the road to a re-stabilised and fully democratic Pakistan, not the end,” the Times said.