When Atal Bihari Vajpayee made the famous bus trip to Lahore, India was rewarded with Kargil. And today, when Modi made a surprise goodwill visit to Pakistan, we have been rewarded with the attacks on the Pathankot Air base claiming many Indian lives. And guess what? Nawaz Sharif happens to be the Prime Minister on both occasions.
The attacks are a reminder of the fact that the government of Pakistan has absolutely no control over the jihadi elements in that country.
In fact, the attacks are probably a signal to Nawaz Sharif that he cannot dictate terms to them especially in matters concerning India.
It is about time that India also realizes this and while making efforts to engage the civilian government in Pakistan, be prepared for a military emergency on all occasions.
The ground reality is that there are four corridors of power in Pakistan: the elected government, the ISI, the army and finally the Mullahs. And they all believe that they are a law unto themselves.
Merely holding talks with the government of Pakistan or posing for selfies with its PM might earn us some brownie points among the international community, but when a crisis like Pathankot happens, no country will come forward to assist us.
