Getting it right, therefore, takes time. In Mumbai’s case, add to the difficulty the political dimension created by New Delhi and we get a situation in which the real issue is pushed to the backburner. Most unfortunate because terrorism is not just hurting India; statistically, of all the countries in the region with the exception of Afghanistan, it has hurt Pakistan the most.

But a number of factors militated against India’s cutting Pakistan some slack. Even now, it is a safe bet that Malik has disclosed less than what he knows and for good reasons too. Investigators abhor the idea of revealing facts until they are absolutely certain they have enough to pin the culprits down. Malik has had to do what he did to raise India’s comfort level.

Now, as President Asif Zardari has said, it’s India’s turn to cooperate. If New Delhi can send a team to consult the FBI and share its findings, it must do the same with Pakistan. It cannot ask Pakistan for more without sharing what it (India) knows and which would definitely help Pakistani investigators move forward.

Simultaneously, greater cooperation would require improving the optics and normalising. And that necessitates hitting the play button on the dialogue framework because that is the only mechanism in and through which the two sides can work out matters when they enter rough waters.

Malik has made it clear that the plan was extensive and involved a number of entities across continents. The Mumbai police chief is reported to have conceded the involvement of indigenous groups and elements. This shows how non-state actors have metastasised and what kind of cooperation is required by states to address the problem.

... contd.