By Adam Mynott BBC South Asia correspondent

Almost all the Indian papers are showing rare consensus over what is the lead story.

But for the international community's persuasion to exercise restraint, India would have taught Pakistan a lesson

The Pioneer

It is a statement by the Indian prime minister at his holiday home in Manali in the foothills of Himalayas that India should have done something earlier about Pakistan-sponsored cross border terrorism.

"We should have hit back after December 13th" is the headline in the Hindustan Times.

In The Asian Age, it is: "We should have acted on December 13."

The Hindu, too, reports that Atal Behari Vajpayee said he regretted that India had not responded to the attack on the Indian parliament in Delhi in December, blamed of course by India on Pakistan.

The Pioneer reports that "but for the international community's persuasion to exercise restraint, India would have taught Pakistan a lesson".

Missile tests

The Times of India carries a long report on its front page about the Pakistan missile testing over the weekend.

It says Pakistan ignored a strong reaction from the international community and fired a second missile on Sunday - the Hatf 3, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead up to 290 kilometres.

The paper quotes analysts saying that "the tests are a sign of desperation from a country which feels isolated in the face of threats from India."

On the inside pages of the Times of India, the Indian army is quoted as saying that the claims from the Pakistan capital, Islamabad, that the Pakistan army had been ordered to block the infiltration of militants into Indian-administered Kashmir was eyewash.

A senior officer says: "Our experience is that Pakistan says one thing and does just the opposite."

There is quite a lot of looking forward to the speech that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is making on television in Pakistan.

The Asian Age believes that he "may announce a major policy shift to rein in militants as demanded by the United States".

World Cup

The on-going crisis dominates space in all the papers, and although it is not stated anywhere, the general tenor of all coverage shows that the tension with Pakistan is beginning to dissipate.

If you turn right the way to the other end of papers, India is doing its best not to be left out of the World Cup fever.

The Indian team did not get close to qualifying, but some claim that football is fast catching up with cricket in the affections of Indians and all the papers reflect the huge interest.

The Pioneer even spots an Indian connection - a Bengali dance troupe has been invited to participate at a fringe football festival in the South Korean capital, Seoul.