The latter 'reaches into his glove compartment', the passage says, 'and starts rummaging for a tape. 'Asha or Lata', he asks'. It may be mentioned that General Pervez Ashfaq Kayani headed ISI before he became Pakistan's army chief.

Since the two-nation theory was based on exploiting supposed Hindu-Muslim incompatibility, Pakistan's efforts throughout its history of six decades have been to assert its distinctive identity. It is for this purpose that it designated itself as an Islamic republic despite Jinnah's obvious preference for a secular state, as outlined in his Aug 11, 1947, speech.

Any resolution of the Kashmir problem on India's terms will mean that the widely admired Indian secularism will influence Pakistani society. The result will be a curbing of the excessive emphasis on religion, which was encouraged by General Zia, leading to the emergence of extremist groups.

As suspected by India, the clandestine links between the army and these elements have helped the latter to thrive since the military regards them as 'strategic assets' in the event of a war with India. The removal of the Kashmir issue from the India-Pakistan equation will mean that the militant fundamentalists will be orphaned by the withdrawal of support from the army.

In addition to secular concepts, Indian democracy is also likely to act as an inspirational model for Pakistan. Its experiments with the system haven't been successful till now because of the army's frequent interventions and its overpowering presence based on the exploitation of the anti-Indian bogey. The army's return to the barracks will boost democracy.

No one can say how real is the Pakistani fear of Indian (read Hindu) cultural dominance because the two communities lived side by side for centuries before the partition of 1947 and still do in India. As is obvious from the sub-continent's past history and India's present experience, the identities of neither have been diluted-as they haven't been in the cases of other minorities in India such as the Sikhs or the Christians or even a minuscule one like the Parsis.

In all likelihood, therefore, it is the roots of the composite culture for which South Asia has long been known which will be further strengthened.

(8.8.2009-Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached at aganguli@mail.com)