One had hoped that with the departure of Musharraf his policy of appeasement of India in total disregard of public sentiments would be replaced with a more dignified and realistic approach by the democratic government. Alas This was not to happen. The Gilani government has found safety in following in the footsteps of the predecessor. The pusillanimous manner in which it has responded to India's hectoring, in the wake of Mumbai incident, and its inexplicable urge for moving towards normalization of relation with India and resumption of dialogue is totally out of sync with popular feelings and has encouraged India to dictate its terms of re-engagement. Since Mumbai tragedy in November 2008, when the peace process was stalled. Indian government has been adamant that the dialogue would be resumed only after Pakistan "take determined and credible action to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism operating from Pakistan territory". India has rejected Pakistan's plea that talks be resumed unconditionally and reminded Pakistan of its obligations under the January 6, 2004 Islamabad agreement, under which the dialogue process was initiated. Indians have been adept at the game of presenting peace-loving face while pursing opposite policies to hoodwink international public opinion. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on commencement of his second term spoke of his "vision of a transformed South Asia in which the states moved from poverty to prosperity, from ignorance to a knowledge society and from insecurity to lasting peace". He reiterated his commitment "to walk more than half way, if the leaders of Pakistan have the courage, the determination and the statesmanship to take this road to peace". He has thus put the onus on Pakistan. Pakistan's passionate appeals to India to resume sterile composite dialogue process, in the face of Indian uncompromising attitude is incomprehensible. Peace is indivisible. Normalization is as much in the interest of Pakistan as of India. If Pakistan expects the resumption to reactivate Kashmir issue, it is self-delusionary. India has a rare opportunity to frustrate the entire peace process, holding Pakistan squarely responsible. Islamabad has drawn comfort from the news that US has also urged India to resume talks. However it needs to be reminded that such advice, in no way will advance resolution of Kashmir issue which Pakistan naively still continues to regard as the "core issue". The US has publicly declared that "US will not get involved in resolving the Kashmir dispute despite its desire to lessen tension between India and Pakistan". Both US National Security Advisor General James Jones and Admiral Mike Mullen have during their recent visit to Islamabad and Delhi clearly spelt out US agenda in the region and Kashmir has no place in it. This backdrop clearly establishes the parameters and scope of the dialogue if it is ever resumed. Pakistan has made its position on Kashmir extremely weak having moved from its principled stand during Musharraf rule and his out-of-box solutions and CBMs. India has succeeded in convincing international community in equating Kashmir struggle as terrorism and regrettably we have also contributed to this portrayal. Till recently India termed the freedom fighters as 'militants' and "separatists" but the obsession of West and the US with terrorism enabled India to reverse the roles. India's acts of state sponsored terrorism against the Kashmiris in IHK through its 700,000 soldiers positioned there are ignored and the oppressed Kashmiris regarded as terrorists. Indian foreign policy now has another opportunity to achieve yet another diplomatic coup. The future of peace in the region and the relations with India will now be contingent upon Pakistan's conduct. Indian Prime Minister bluntly told Zardari that "there cannot be any forward movement unless Islamabad showed sincerity in taking action against the perpetrators of 26/11 and stop further attacks against India". The fulfillment of these conditions will come neither early or easy. Meanwhile the "irreversible" peace process will be consigned to archives and in future the only issue of relevance and consequence for friendly relations between India and Pakistan will be terrorism. Sashi Tharoor a former under secretary general of the UN and now junior foreign minister, has with brutal frankness laid down the future scenario. "India was willing to engage Pakistan in a revived dialogue but it expected "certain very positive" actions from the other side that its territory would not be "wilfully used to do us harm", He recalled Manmohan Singh, message to Mr. Zardari "take necessary steps in your own country to bring to book those who perpetrated these horrors on our soil and then give us enough assurance for your own conduct that we will not have to fear this again". The unscheduled meetings between Zardari and Manmohan, which were merely chance encounter, are being described as a positive development to mislead our people and feed them with non-existing hopes, and optimism. The truth is that peace process, emanating from 6 January 2004 Islamabad agreement is dead. Indian foreign Minister Krishna has laid out the conditions of the dialogue in no uncertain terms. "Forthcoming talks of foreign secretaries as was decided by our leaders in Russia is important as it will enable us to take stock of where we stand on the issue of terrorism and the fulfillment by Pakistan of its assurance that its territory would not be used for terrorist attacks on India". The peace agenda between Delhi and Islamabad from now on would be only terrorism. Any reference to the dialogue will here forth be in this context alone. Pakistan must ask India for the agenda of the foreign Secretary level talks scheduled in Sharm-el-Sheikh on July 14 and if it is limited to Mumbai event, as Indian side has indicated, it must decline to attend the meeting. Pakistan has already suffered grievously by lack of restraint and dignity in our quest for dialogue with India. It is about time that we give up the ghost of forward movement in every chance meeting. No one will contest the need for dialogue and negotiations for peace in our region but not at the cost of our national dignity and interests, and certainly not at the terms India desires Peace with dignity and honor and efforts on equal and reciprocal basis alone will be durable and sustainable. The writer is a former ambassador