When the Mumbai massacre two months ago threatened to undermine the very basis of the negotiations with Pakistan, Singh decided to convey a tough message to Musharraf on terrorism as well as prevent the Indian security establishment from shooting itself in the foot.

Holding firm to his belief that the destinies of India and Pakistan were interlinked and that it was possible to get Musharraf to act on terrorism, Singh unveiled a tough balancing act.

The results from the meeting with Musharraf today in Havana have fully borne out the strategic optimism and tactical toughness of Singh’s new approach.

India’s diplomatic emphasis was less on getting another piece of paper from Musharraf and focused on creating a structure that would allow the two security establishments to initiate the habit of consultation and ultimately cooperation in dealing with terrorism.

While he sought an enduring framework for cooperation on counter-terrorism, Singh on his part appears to have reaffirmed the Indian commitment to find final solutions to the Kashmir question.

Neither side was expected to reveal the full nature of the conversation on Kashmir today, but it does not need a rocket scientist to figure out that the two leaders would have agreed on intensifying the back channel negotiations on the subject, which have reportedly made considerable progress already.

While no dates have been announced for Singh’s visit to Pakistan, it is very much likely that the two leaders have decided to press their bureaucracies to get their act together and generate substantive results.

... contd.