Reading through N.S. Sarila's article on "Islamabad's Illusions" (25 March), one feels a sense of 'deju vu'. During the freedom movement, a section of our leadership never tired of pointing out the presence of Afghan, Iran and Turkey to our West, ready to cross the Khyber Pass at the behest of the Muslims in the Sub-continent. At the end of the century, we once again see Pakistan spearheading a Jihad against India with the support of the militants in the Muslim world.

By having a longer-than-life misperception of Pakistan's strength and ambition, we only succeed in distorting our own vision of the future. In a way, we thus prepare the ground for withdrawing from our responsibilities as the strongest, the most advanced and the most progressive. State in the Sub-continent and for nurturing the seeds of authoritarianism in our own country.

Pakistan is no match for us, USA, China and the Islamic world will not back Pakistan in a show-down with us - not even Iran or Saudi Arabia. Pakistan, even by diverting all its budget to the ISI, cannot wreck or dismember us. Pakistan is, no doubt, obsessed with a limited objective - of completing what it calls 'the unfinished business of partition' by annexing the State of J&K, at least the Valley. Can it do so by force, at the point of the gun? Will the Kashmiris like the Valley to be turned into a cinder, a devastated landscape?

Sarila speaks of the Pakistan rulers' belief that Indian leaders can be 'correct'. Into what, one may ask? Surrender the country to Pakistan? Accept restoration of Muslim rule in the Sub-continent?

So the thinking that Kashmir problem is a symptom, not the disease needs to be discarded. This is a diversion. We should at least, make an earnest, sincere effort to find a solution which gives something to all the three parties concerned, in the larger interest of all the people of the Sub-continent in the context of a Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation between the two States.

Destiny is knocking at our door. As the bigger of the two brothers we cannot escape our duty and responsibility. Time has become for India and Pakistan to turn a new leaf, purging ourselves of our illusions and frustrations and, what is more important, of all our complexes inherited from the dead past.