India, April 23 -- It was long apprehended by peace activists in Pakistan. Now, it has happened - a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.

Well-meaning elements in Pakistan were on tenterhooks when the secessionist Baloch Liberation Army last month attacked the Jaffar Express, killing dozens. At the time, the Pakistani ministry of foreign affairs (MOFA), without specifically blaming India for the incident, accused it of "sponsoring" terrorism in Pakistan. The peaceniks were worried Pakistan might retaliate, thereby triggering a spiral of tit-for-tat. They hoped that Pakistani chief of army staff (COAS), General Asim Munir, going ballistic in a recent speech would be the response. That hope was belied on Tuesday.

But why did Munir sudden...