The first is that not all terror attacks on Indian soil are LeT—or Jaish-e-Mohammad—or ISI-inspired. This uncomfortable information has been with us for some time, but now, after the Mumbai blasts and Malegaon, its recognition is compelling. Terrorist modules of a wholly home-grown character incontrovertibly exist. To deny their presence is counterproductive, short-sighted and silly. Our lofty boast concerning Indian democracy ensuring that no citizen feels the need to pull the trigger is no longer valid. The numbers may be minuscule but, unfortunately, you need just four persons to perpetrate mass murder. If we sit back and do nothing, in other words treat this new danger as a problem purely for the law and order agencies, the number will grow alarmingly.
A Few Tough Asks
The second home truth. Even while the dialogue proceeds at whatever pace, terrorism aimed at wounding India will persist. The frequency can be diminished by internal vigilance and external assistance, but terror cannot be eliminated. We have to live with the knowledge that India will never again be terror-free. Since the engagement with Pakistan has to be long and tortuous, India must decide what its response will be when (not if) the next attack happens. Do we freeze the peace process? Do we go into a prolonged sulk? Do we shout "hot pursuit"? Or, do we finally admit that there exist terror groups in Pakistan outside Musharraf's control? Even more problematic: can we admit the attack has no foreign hand?
These are agonising questions, even more agonising for the families of those hit by terror. For whatever it is worth, talking to Pakistan and inviting Musharraf's cooperation is probably the best way to tackle terrorism in India.