Terrorists pursuing an atavistic agenda through the brutal killing of common people are not performing jihad. They only seek to legitimize their vile acts in the name of Islam.

India needs to factor in the critical issue of reputation for resolve in future crisis situations in order to build its credibility and enhance its deterrence potential.

What has emerged over the past two weeks is a well calibrated strategy meant to increase the costs for Pakistan of continuing its policy of supporting cross border terrorism as an instrument of state policy.

Through a pragmatic strategy coupled with national will, India should undertake calibrated responses to defeat Pakistan’s proxy war game plan with a view to making its misadventures prohibitively costly and unsustainable.

While the need for re-evaluating internal security holistically is undeniable, it may be appropriate to deal with this matter in the national context.

On July 27, 1990, Trinidad experienced its own day of infamy when the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen staged an armed insurrection and held hostage the then Prime Minister, most of his cabinet and several opposition MPs, plus the staff of the television and radio networks.

The Inter-State Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, is the best constitutional forum at the disposal of the Union Government to deal with challenges relating to internal security.

Bangladesh-based terror groups acting against India is not new. What is new is a Bangladeshi terror group based in India acting against both India and Bangladesh. Needless to say, robust counterterrorism cooperation between India and Bangladesh is imperative to tackling common enemies like JMB.