Dialogue with Pakistan must serve a purpose
The attack by Pakistan-originated terrorists on an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot has cast a shadow on yet another planned round of talks between India and Pakistan. While the terrorists were neutralised before they could cause any damage to the airbase or its assets (although India lost more than half a dozen of its men in the counter-operation), the incident has once more underlined the perils that can come in the way of a dialogue between the two countries. The demand for calling off the talks has risen from many quarters which have pointed to the futility of dialogue with a nation that has on several occasions shown duplicity in its conduct vis-à-vis militants that target India.
However, we need to avoid knee-jerk reactions. Details of the attack are still filtering in and the security and intelligence agencies will over the next few days be able to construct a credible narrative of not just how the incident happened but also who plotted and executed it. Initial reports have confirmed that the terrorists crossed over from Pakistan and that they were in touch with their handlers based in that country. If it is established with a credible amount of evidence that Pakistan's Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence were involved in training and sending the Jaish-e-Mohammed militants to strike into India, then the Government will have to reconsider future engagements with Pakistan.
After all, neither the Pakistan Army nor the ISI is a ‘rogue, non-state actor' that is outside Islamabad's ambit. Similarly, it would be terrible for India-Pakistan relations if it is shown that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had been in the know of the impending terror attack but failed to stop it. Of course, the possibility that he was not only aware but had given it a green signal, would be catastrophic for bilateral ties. After all, over the last few weeks, he had been responding positively to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold initiatives to normalise relations. To break off talks at a stage when Mr Sharif's complicity is far from clear, would be playing into the hands of anti-peace forces in Pakistan who want nothing better than to see the dialogue process derailed. It would also put the Pakistani Prime Minister in a weak position and make him even more vulnerable than he is to hardliners within his Government and outside.
Nevertheless, the Pathankot incident must strengthen New Delhi's resolve to talk and act tough on terror. Discussions between the representatives of the two sides cannot take place as if nothing has happened. This means that India must persuade Islamabad to put terrorism on top of the talk list, and if it calls for a tweaking of a pre-set agenda earlier agreed upon by the two nations, let it be so. It would be ridiculous for New Delhi to be discussing ways to resolve the Kashmir crisis, for instance, or even promote trade or cultural exchanges, when Pakistan-based elements, with or without state support, conduct the Pathankot-kind of attacks. For India to not meet the terrorism issue head-on would not only go against national sentiment but also send out the message that we can be trampled over. New Delhi must take a strong stand backed by visible action, including diplomatic, which commands respect and even fear in the right quarter.