Peace in pieces?

If these attacks continue 8212; we have seen three terrorist attacks in Srinagar on three successive days this week 8212; India8217;s threshold of tolerance to Pakistan sponsored cross-border violence would shortly be breached. Despite intense provocations in the weeks since the earthquake, the UPA government has held its peace and has chosen to go ahead with some unprecedented steps to open up the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate quake relief. But if Delhi8217;s central political premise 8212; that the peace process would take place in a violence-free environment 8212; turns out to be unsustainable, popular support in India to the talks with Pakistan would rapidly evaporate. By turning the other cheek to Pakistan8217;s provocations, the UPA government is in fact undermining its own ability to negotiate purposefully with Pakistan. If Delhi now responds to some of the more reasonable Pakistani demands on Kashmir, it would encourage the misperception in Rawalpindi that terrorist violence could be leveraged to extract political concessions from Delhi.

If India listlessly continues with the peace process 8212; too angry to move forward but too anxious not to break it 8212; it would be asking for more terrorism from Pakistan supported militancy in Kashmir. The time has come for Delhi to dispel the impression in Pakistan that India has no option but to stay with the peace process. Delhi must convey in unambiguous terms to both Islamabad and Washington that if Musharraf does not rein in the Lashkar and order an end to terrorist violence in India, it would be free to think of unpleasant alternatives. If Musharraf fails to act on his own promises to end terrorism, India will have to conclude that Musharraf is either too weak or too untrustworthy to be a credible interlocutor.