India, April 27 -- Acts of terrorism, particularly against innocent civilians, must not go unpunished. However, any action must be thought through from all angles, as actions, in contexts such as this, have significant consequences.

The fundamental question then is this: Can New Delhi effectively respond to the terror act carried out by the Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba, without compromising its broader strategic interests? Delhi's responses thus far - including keeping the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, closing the Attari border crossing, declaring Pakistan's defence/military, navy, and air advisors in India as persona non grata, and withdrawing its own attaches from Pakis...