All relationships are based on mutual respect and trust, and diplomacy is no different. Undoubtedly, the last decade has seen more downs than ups in Pak-India ties but just as things seemed to be settling down, the death of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden has slowed down the process. In fact, the use of strong language at a time when peace in the region is fragile betrays the mindset of those who rally to its cause.

The Indian government was slow to react to the killing, giving a carefully-worded statement after a fortnight, reiterating the need for Pakistan's co-operation to reduce terror on its soil. "The government is pressing Pakistan as well as mobilising international opinion to press Pakistan to bring the real perpetrators of 26/11 attacks to justice," Home Minister P Chidambaram said. He added India will engage Pakistan "wherever we can" on issues like visa, fishermen, cross-border trade, exchange of prisoners. "Those are matters on which we are engaging Pakistan. I don’t think there is dichotomy or contradiction. This is the policy spelt out by the Prime Minister and I think, this is the right policy," Chidambaram explained.

Meanwhile, sources within the Indian government reveal that New Delhi has handed Islamabad a list comprising names of 50 most wanted men – 19 Pakistanis and 31 Indians – alleged to be hiding in Pakistan. The list includes the names of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and 26/11 conspirator Hafez Mohammed Saeed, founder of the Jaish-e-Mohammad Maulana Masood Azhar and Hizb commander and the head of the United Jihad Council Mohammad Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin.

While the Indian government officials refrained from vitriolic attacks, those associated with the armed forces did not mince their words when it came to taking up on the American lead. Both Indian Military Chief General V K Singh and Air Chief Marshal P V Naik said that India has the teeth to hit terrorists holed up in Pakistan.

This had the Pakistani establishment dishing out a befitting reply to insinuations by India about a similar covert attack on Pakistani soil. "Any other country that would ever act on assumption that it has the right to unilateralism of any sort will find, as far as Pakistan is concerned, that it has made a basic mistake. We see a lot of bravado in our region… from the military, air force, which state that this can be repeated… that sort of a misadventure or miscalculation will result in a catastrophe," said Pakistan's Foreign Secretary.

Despite this series of provocative statements between the two countries, Press Trust of India quoted government sources who maintained that Osama's killing would not change the "universe of the discourse" between India and Pakistan. Sources added that "talks with Pakistan will continue... We have to engage them with these issues (terrorism). We have to focus on the issues of concern that we have with Pakistan."

Similarly, in an interview to the Sri Lanka Guardian from Chennai, B. Raman insisted that "India should continue the peace process with Pakistan firmly and should not allow any bearing of Abbottabad episode on continuing process of normalisation of relations." Raman is the former Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India and former head of the counter-terrorism division of India’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Contrary to the popular theory of linking up the Kashmir issue to the problem of cross-border terrorism alleged time and again by the Indian government, on 9 May, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah laid to rest all these lingering doubts.

Abdullah, in a press conference, rejected reports of links between Kashmiri militant groups and al Qaeda, saying during his tenure he had not seen a single intelligence report suggesting so. He said that New Delhi had made it clear that India wouldn't want to strain relations with Pakistan because of the Osama episode, and would like relations to remain normal.

This official muted response is rather well-thought out if the recently released Congressional Research Service is to be relied on.

Congressional Research Service is an independent research wing of the US Congress which prepares periodic reports for lawmakers. In its report, it claimed that there may be some apprehension in New Delhi that the development could hasten a US withdrawal from Afghanistan in ways that could be harmful to India's foreign policy interests, the report elaborated. India is "averse" to seeing a Kabul government too friendly with Islamabad in the future and has a keen interest in precluding the resurgence of Islamist extremist groups in Afghanistan, which it fears could be the case if the Pakistani military has excessive influence on the anti-Taliban campaign's endgame, the report stated.

As the war of words rages on, the least people on both sides of the border expect is that their respective governments try to control the violence and bring those who benefit from the unrest to book. With a long history of deceit to learn from, one must not forget the painful lessons of war. At this crucial stage, like so many more, it would be folly to let violence derail both the countries from the paths of peace. It’s always wise to save war rhetoric for another lifetime.

Editor's Note:

According to latest Indian news reports, Wazhul Kamar Khan, one of the men listed in the 'Most Wanted' fugitives list that India had given to Pakistan, is living in India.

IBN Live said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government is in a damage control mode after an embarrassing twist in India's 50 most wanted list handed over to Pakistan.

Union Home Secretary GK Pillai said the Government has ordered an investigation.

"The Home Ministry is responsible if the list was not updated and 44-year-old Khan's name was not removed from it. The accused had been arrested and in this case the Red Corner Notice should have been deleted. When Mumbai Police arrested him in 2009 we did not update the list. We will verify the list and come out with a statement. The list is prepared by various agencies and then given to the Home Ministry. We have handed over this list to Pakistan. We will take responsibility if the list was not updated," Pillai told CNN-IBN.

Pillai, however, added that one mistake didn't affect the credibility of the most wanted list.

The writer is an Indian journalist and the recipient of Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for her work in Indian-administered Kashmir.