US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s objectives in New Delhi were to express solidarity with the Indian people after the Mumbai aggression and buy time to prevent an escalation of the gathering tension with Pakistan into a military conflict. India is obviously thankful for the first and rightly circumspect on the second. Rice is urging New Delhi to maintain its current restraint to avoid unintended consequences from a potential retaliation. Rice wants

India to allow some space for international diplomacy before it exercises its uncontested right to retaliate against the Mumbai provocation that has followed a number of recent attacks from Pakistan-based terror groups with increasing frequency and growing audacity. As Rice headed to Islamabad from New Delhi, America’s top soldier, Admiral Mike Mullen was travelling in the other direction. This US diplomatic two-step is likely to be followed by a host of other high-profile visitors from the international community.

As she headed to Islamabad, Rice pressed Pakistan for a “robust response” to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to justice and prevent the recurrence of such aggression. As the days ahead unfold, however, she may not find it easy to persuade Pakistan to match its nice words after Mumbai with credible deeds. In New Delhi, Rice certainly rejected Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s search for an escape route by blaming “non-state actors”. Rice reminded Zardari that the Pakistani state has the responsibility to act against terrorists operating from its soil. The issue is not legal but political. Both Washington and New Delhi know that Zardari has neither the power nor the authority to act against groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba, that have served as a long lance against India for the Pakistan army and the ISI.

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