Kerry, for his part, has highlighted the central challenge of dealing with terror groups operating in Pakistan — the enduring patronage from the ISI, which has long instrumentalised these outfits for its jihad strategy in India and Afghanistan. Kerry, who will have a major say in defining the terms of the massive US aid package to Pakistan being currently debated in Washington, has suggested that full civilian control over the ISI could be a key condition. New Delhi, which has said it has no quarrel with the civilian leaders of Pakistan, is warily watching whether they can rein in the state actors like the army and the ISI. From New Delhi’s perspective, it is better that the politically sensitive demands for a comprehensive restructuring of Pakistan’s civil-military relationship come from the West. It is quite clear that President Asif Ali Zardari will find it easier to accommodate the Western demarches than those from New Delhi.

As he lets the Anglo-Americans define specific anti-terror benchmarks to Zardari, the PM has done well to restate India’s firm commitment to revive the peace process and resolve the Kashmir question if Pakistan’s civilian government can get its internal act together and dismantle the expansive terror infrastructure on Pakistani soil. Speaking at an election rally in Kashmir on Sunday, the PM underlined the extraordinary progress made on Indo-Pak confidence-building in the contested state under the aegis of the UPA government. In keeping the doors open for peace talks, he is sending an important signal to Zardari that there will be political gains to reap if he does what is right for himself, his people and the region. As India, in cooperation with the Anglo-Americans, constructs a set of risks and rewards for Pakistan after Mumbai, it is now entirely up to Zardari to take the next steps.