The latest crisis in India-Pakistan relations was caused by terrorists who came across the border from Pakistan, attacked a fortified army base in Indian Kashmir on Sept. 18 and killed 19 soldiers before being neutralized. Many Indians are demanding Pakistan be taught a harsh lesson with a disproportionate retaliation under the principle of "a jaw for a tooth."
With each fresh terrorist attack, the clamor for military strikes grows stronger from an outraged citizenry. The political cost of inaction is higher for a Hindu nationalist party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi risks cementing a reputation for bluster: in the Texan vernacular, all hat and no cattle.
The attack does indeed deserve a tough response, but against four targets: Pakistan's military-intelligence complex that controls its security and India policies; India's own military and intelligence officials for security lapses; the bellicose rhetoric and thuggish actions of Hindu hardliners; and India's Kashmir policy.