The Pakistan president's address to his nation on Monday has predictably generated deep disappointment in India. Not only did Mr Pervez Musharraf's speech seem like an exercise in political posturing, but his bellicose style will also undoubtedly worsen relations between New Delhi and Islamabad. There were several aspects of Mr Musharraf's address that were profoundly disturbing. His claims that infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir had ended and that Pakistan was not allowing its territory to be used by terrorists will not be taken seriously even by allies of Islamabad. There is significant evidence, collected not just by India, to suggest that terrorist camps continue to exist in Pakistan, and that Pakistan's army and intelligence agencies continue to sponsor many of the jihadi outfits. It is also clear that Mr Musharraf was attempting to turn the tide of international public opinion against India. By demanding that the international community pressurize New Delhi to de-escalate and resume the bilateral dialogue, he was seeking to put India on the defensive. Mr Musharraf is hoping that liberal opinion internationally will respond to his appeal for access of human rights and media organizations into Jammu and Kashmir. Worse still, Mr Musharraf made the outrageous suggestion that 'Hindu terrorists' were targetting Muslims and other minorities in India. The Indian external affairs minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, addressing a press conference, echoed a widely prevalent sentiment that Mr Musharraf's televised address was 'disappointing and dangerous'. Disappointing because it contained mere repetition of some earlier assurances which remained unfulfilled. And dangerous, because Pakistan had not taken firm steps to stop 'the lethal export of terrorism' and because the speech involved belligerent posturing which has led to 'tensions being raised and not reduced'. Mr Singh was also right in referring to Pakistan as the 'epicentre of terrorism', and in asserting that terrorists targetting India and other countries have received support from the state structure of Pakistan. It is clear that the ongoing war against terrorism would not be won decisively unless the base camps in Pakistan are closed permanently. Indeed, it is not easy to find a rationale for Mr Musharraf's belligerent speech. It could well be that by making this extreme and deeply provocative speech for essentially a domestic audience, he is creating an environment in which he will finally act against terrorists and all those who are sponsoring terrorism against India. On present evidence and past experience, however, there seem to be few signs that Mr Musharraf is indeed willing to act. In the next few days, India will have to carefully evaluate its options and decide on a clear policy after considered reflection of the costs and benefits of each move. New Delhi must also systematically gather fresh evidence of Pakistan's complicity in acts of terrorism and present it before the stream of foreign officials who will be visiting the subcontinent.