The Indian government really did not know how to cope with the worsening law and order situation. Earlier, in the wake of any terrorist strike, the government would get in touch with the U. S. State Department and urge that Pakistan should be asked to rein in terrorists for otherwise it could lead to outbreak of major violence in the sub-continent. But not falling in line with President Bush’s plan to attack Iraq, New Delhi could do nothing this time except to fumble in the dark or issue statements warning Pakistan of retaliatory action.

Whatever India might say or do as a reaction to the killings by terrorists on its own territory, Pakistan last month was really in the seventh heaven. The cause of rejoicing in Islamabad was the announcement in Washington that President George Bush had waived sanctions against Pakistan which were imposed in the aftermath of the 1999 military coup that enabled Gen. Pervez Musharraf to unseat the democratically elected government of Nawaz Sharif and instead install himself in power.

Although it was not made known, it was quite clear that Gen. Musharraf was being rewarded by President Bush for acquiescing to the American decision to attack Iraq. The lifting of sanctions against Pakistan meant that the country could now get U. S. assistance in cash or kind equivalent to $ 250 million that had been approved by Congress earlier this year. Not only that, the White House announcement that the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, would visit the U. S. A. to meet Bush on March 28 for discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues acted like an adrenaline injection for every Pakistani. No doubt the windfall of concessions and favoured-nation treatment announced by the U. S. A. acted as a great morale booster for the whole of Pakistan, especially after the country was literally in mourning over the defeat in the World Cup suffered by its cricket team in South Africa at the hands of legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar and the rest of his team mates. Really disgusted with the seemingly impotent stance of the government, especially in regard to relations with Pakistan, every Indian was also a joy to behold after Wasim Akram and other reputed bowlers of the Pakistan team had been reduced to pulp. Saurav Ganguly and his team may or may not win the World Cup, for that is hardly going to matter after they had convincingly routed India’s traditional enemies, Pakistan.

Now reverting to the statistics of violence being perpetrated by Pak-sponsored terrorists in India, it must be stated that their success in remaining undetected and concealing their weapons is to a great extent due to the fact that India is a secular country with a Muslim population larger than that of Pakistan. Terrorists coming from across the border mix with the local Muslims and invoke Islam to make the Indian Muslims they meet fall in line with their strategy and plans to wreak violence on infidels, as the non-Muslims are referred to in Islam. This makes the task of the security forces difficult, for they are always under orders not to suspect or harm Indian Muslims merely on suspicion.

The first incident of terrorist violence occurred near Poonch close to the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Half a dozen Indians including a couple of Muslims who refused to comply with the demands of the terrorists were shot dead at point blank range. In the second incident, 10 commuters, including four women, were killed and more than 50 injured after a powerful blast ripped apart a first class ladies’ compartment of a Karjat-bound local train at about 8.40 pm on March 12 in Mumbai. The blast occurred a day after the 10th anniversary of the serial bomb blasts that wreaked havoc in Mumbai on March 12, 1993, in revenge for the destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.