What is more worrisome is the fact that General Musharraf and his new regime appear undaunted about intense international displeasure over the military takeover. The suspension from the Commonwealth, it appears, is being treated by Pakistan merely as a symbolic gesture. The additional US sanctions do not seem to affect Pakistan much, particularly since the fairly comprehensive sanctions following the nuclear tests continue.

On its part, the US reaction also appears ambivalent. The statement by US President, Bill Clinton, has, no doubt, expressed disappointment over the lack of a time-frame for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan but has more or less approved of General Musharraf's "conciliatory approach" to India and asked New Delhi to resume the dialogue with Islamabad. While correcting its initial misunderstanding of the Pakistani General's offer of withdrawal of troops from the international border to mean also the de-escalation of the Line of Control in Kashmir, the USA appears to show little concern for India's legitimate concern about the continuance of Pakistan's trans-border support to terrorism in Kashmir.

Clearly, General Musharraf has placed the Kashmir dispute as the Central issue as far as Indo-Pak relations are concerned. The present Vajpayee government, notwithstanding the US desire that India resume dialogue with the military dictatorship, must make its own sober assessment and not succumb to such pressures. This is the least that must be done in India's interests.

In any case, the future of Pakistan appears destined to be in deeper troubles. In a multinational country with known internecine hostilities, the imposition of a military dictatorship would not be in a position to suppress for long these conflicts and hostilities. It needs to be recollected that the single issue of imposition of Urdu language, over the overwhelmingly Bengali speaking people, in the erstwhile East Pakistan had triggered off the Bangladeshi Liberation Movement leading to the division of Pakistan.