'Unreasonable behaviour'

This is apropos a letter 'Unreasonable behaviour' carried in these columns. Islamabad therefore would be wise to opt for an alternative venue. As regards cooperation to fight terrorism, actions speak louder than words. Pakistan has been making genuine efforts not only to investigate the Pathankot attack but also prevent any new assault.
According to Indian media reports, New Delhi as well as parts of Gujarat state went on high alert on Sunday after Pakistan's National Security Adviser, retired Lieutenant General Nasser Khan Janjua, informed his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, about a group of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad militants having crossed the border in Gujarat on a mission to carry out a terrorist strike. Hopefully, the information will help thwart any possible terror attack, and lead to a realisation in India that the two countries need to fully activate the Indo-Pak Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism and make co-operative efforts to preempt acts of terrorism.
India also needs to look inwards to address religious intolerance and resulting violence within its own society. The other day New Delhi denied visa to a delegation of US International Commission of International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which was to investigate reports of discrimination against religious minorities in the country. India of course claims to be a pluralist society where the constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all is citizens, including the right to freedom of religion. The reality for the minorities is very different. Muslims have been regularly bearing the brunt of violent Hindu extremists' hatred. Some 2000 Muslims lost their lives in UP and another 900 in Mumbai in the carnage that followed the destruction of the 16th century Babri Mosque; and later more than a 1000 were massacred in the anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat state. More recently, in two separate incidents as many Muslim men were killed on baseless accusations of either eating cow meat or transporting cows for slaughter. Christians are not safe, either. Not too long ago, a Christian missionary from Australia was burned to death along with his two young sons in Orissa by a Hindu mob as they slept in their vehicle. This has gone on because, as a recent USCIRF report notes the country "has long struggled to protect minority religious communities or provide justice when crimes occur, which perpetuates a climate of impunity."