NEW DELHI, Jan 22: India limply pointed a finger at Pakistan, more out of habit than conviction, for the mysterious shootout outside the American Center in Kolkata on Tuesday, as Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani in a keynote address at a hotel in the neighbourhood of the Center and within hours of the early morning incident, was painting his vision of a Utopian future with Islamabad.

Diplomatic sources noted that neither Advani nor the Americans appeared too eager to bring Pakistan into the framed photos of the usual suspects, although the Indian home minister did mention that some little known underworld operator who apparently claimed organizing the attack had links with the Pakistan’s ISI.

Two other groups telephoned newspaper offices saying they carried out the attack. One caller said he was from Harkat-ul Jehad-ul Islami (HUGI), which is active in northern India, and said the attack was in protest against “the evil empire of America”.

The other said the Asif Raza Commandos, a group named after their leader, a Kolkata criminal with links to radical Islamic groups, were responsible.

Before the ISI theme could be expanded beyond the cursory reference, everyone noticed that the Americans were maintaining a studied aloofness from the suggestion, confining their description of the motorcycle-borne attack as a shooting incident which they were probing. US Ambassador Robert Blackwill who spoke to Advani expressed profound grief at the tragic death of four Indian policemen in the attack.

Diplomatic sources observed that although the attack had coincided with a Joint Working Group meeting in Delhi between senior Indian and US anti-terrorist officials, neither side was in a position to ignore the words of caution put into the equation recently by US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.

Powell last week in Delhi had warned about some “people out there” who would want to stir trouble between India and Pakistan. Singh had spoken of “demented elements” who might want to destabilize the tense situation in South Asia with something like the Kolkata attack or even worse. The caution appeared to be nicely heeded, and the focus on Tuesday and even before had turned to names like Hamas, the Mafia, underworld, Dubai-based groups, Al Qaeda and so on.

Tuesday’s shooting took place also while both the US State Department coordinator for counter-terrorism and the head of the FBI, Robert Mueller, were in Delhi for talks with Indian officials. Mueller said it was too early to tell what the motive for the attack was. It was difficult to conjure images of Pakistani involvement after that pithy statement.

If there was any doubt left on that score, it was soon enough cleared by Advani himself who gave an unusually measured speech in Kolkata moments after Tuesday’s tragic attack.

“We in India have accepted the reality of Pakistan. However, I often wonder whether the ruling establishments in Pakistan have accepted the reality of a secular, democratic and united India,” Advani began.

“I say so because Pakistan has followed a policy of hostility towards India, right from its inception. It has waged three wars against India, and that excludes Kargil. For the past two decades, it has also waged a proxy war of subversion and terrorism — first in Punjab and then in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Advani said he could understand if Islamabad has a view on the constitutionally and democratically ratified accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India that is different from India’s.

“Such an issue should be discussed and resolved through dialogue between two neighbours wedded to the principle of good-neigbourliness. Instead, Pakistan has opted for conflict and hostility — both open and covert.

“I have already welcomed President Musharraf’s bold and forthright denunciation of terrorism and religious extremism so far as they affect Pakistan’s internal affairs. No leader of Pakistan has rejected theocracy as categorically as President Musharraf has. But what President Musharraf has said with regard to terrorism originating from Pakistan and aimed at Jammu and Kashmir seems tactical. It does not indicate any strategic shift of approach.

‘‘We have therefore made it clear that we shall judge Pakistan’s sincerity and commitment to fight terrorism only after we have seen its corresponding action on the ground.

“I have said earlier and I shall say it again today that Pakistan must convince us through effective action that it has abandoned the use of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India as a instrument of state policy. It must stop training terrorists, providing asylum to them and facilitating their infiltration into India.

“Should that happen again India will not be found wanting in engaging Pakistan in very meaningful dialogue on all bilateral issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has amply demonstrated his commitment to seeking tension-free relations with Pakistan.

His historic bus yatra to Lahore and his invitation to President Musharraf for summit talks in Agra testify to his sincerity

“In this conclave, we are looking at the future shape of things and not just at the immediate developments. Therefore, I think that it is not out of place to mention my hope and desire to see the coming together of India and Pakistan in some type of confederal framework in the years to come.

“This is not an impossible dream. After all, we have seen how the two Germanys united by pulling down the Berlin Wall. There are signs of reconciliation even between the two Koreas. Many of us, who were witness to the Second World War, could not have imagined that Europe would become a single monetary union with a common currency. Yet it is a reality today.

“India, Pakistan and Bangladesh share so much in common with each other,” Advani said.

“We can continue to remain separate and sovereign nations yet voluntarily opt for expanding the areas of cooperation. What is needed are small but sincere steps towards resolving bilateral issues peacefully and remaining steadfastly committed to the path of closer ties between all our peoples, businesses and governments.”