Let us look at the negatives of the Mumbai attack. In 1965, Pakistanis believed that one Pakistani was worth eight Indians, that was the population ratio. A painful understanding has dawned that strength lies not in military but in human development. It is development that shows society's consciousness in history and social consciousness.

In the last ten years we began to understand that not only is India militarily much more powerful than us but that stories of the inferiority of Indians, of the Hindus for some, were grossly exaggerated and wrong and that we had to come to rational terms.

Today, do you know what the jihadis are saying? They say that 10 people could keep the city of Mumbai hostage for 70 hours. They think the might of Mumbai and the might of Nariman Point is more powerful than the Bofors guns. This is the negative thinking that came out of Mumbai, and we have to eliminate this thinking.

India is a self-respecting country. Pakistan must accept that Indians are not only meaningful people; they are our blood brothers. They are also socially advanced than Pakistan because they have put in efforts in social advancement. I keep telling Pakistani authorities that when you have bilateral relations, then the state actors of Pakistan have the responsibility to the state actors in India and, also, to the people of India.

We must reach out to civil society in India to not only express our grief but also to ensure that the chances of such incidents reduce. I think tremendous harm has taken place in the form of Indian public opinion because the state of Pakistan is not attending to this.

I think this constant condemnation of President Asif Ali Zaradari should be stopped. He is trying to stand up to tell Pakistanis that the pain and problem of India due to terrorism should be acknowledged. India should understand this as well.

Second, one should not go to US and UK and say get this from Pakistan, get that for India. You have to look at that fraction of Pakistan which is dictating the terms of global agenda. Try and take a harder position on the group from where the attack is emanating, but why are you taking Pakistan as a whole? Pakistanis will have to play carrot and stick vis-à-vis jihadis as Indians play with Pakistan. Pakistan will have to give some inducements. Not all jihadis are of the same clique. In the past US agenda dictated when the Lashkar-e-Tayiba was less important than other groups who created havoc in Afghanistan. Pakistan should play up on this distinction. The US should be stopped from using certain groups like the LeT to supply them intelligence.

A thought reform is necessary between India and Pakistan. We will have to tackle the displaced people on our borders. Education can be the tool. Can you imagine India training Pakistani tribal youth for IT enabled services? Have you forgotten that the tribal areas of the North West Frontier Province went with Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and remained with the Congress for some decades?

And you think they are now all your enemies? What brings in this change? Was it your inactivity and inability to understand? How many universities are teaching Pashtun history in New Delhi? Educational sectors have lost each other. I repeat, the Pakistan government should attend to Indian public opinion and India should work behind the scenes along with the US and the UK and also with the Chinese. They are dead against jihadi terrorism. They feel the vulnerability, too.

Image: Pakistani soldiers stand guard in Swat Valley in February. Pakistan has gambled that an offer to introduce Islamic law to parts of its northwest will bring peace to the troubled Swat valley, but analysts fear any lull won't last long and such appeasement will embolden the Taliban.
Photograph: Abdul Rehman/Reuters

Also see:
B Raman: What the CIA chief's visit to India, Pakistan means

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