AP Photo

Yesterday in these columns we cautioned against any hyper reaction to the references to India and Pakistan in the joint US-China declaration issued at the end of President Barack Obama's talks with Hu Jintao, his Chinese counterpart. At the same time, we made it amply clear that India cannot, and will not, brook any outside interference in the resolution of outstanding issues between the two South Asian neighbours. The statement of the ministry of external affairs on Wednesday voiced this concern in a tone that cannot be faulted. This is equally true of the Congress party spokesman's remarks.

Such a mix of firmness and sobriety stands in sharp contrast to the feelings of anger and consternation articulated by a number of influential strategic and foreign policy experts....