From optimism to enmity in Modi’s outreach to Pakistan

As well as reverberating across the border, Mr Modi’s tough talk is intended for a domestic audience, as New Delhi tries to deflect blame for the current crisis in Kashmir, where at least 66 people have been killed, thousands injured, and most of the population confined to their homes under a strict curfew since early July. “If you can point to Pakistan as the fundamental cause of the problem, you are exculpating yourself,” said Shashank Joshi, a senior fellow at London’s Royal United Services Institute.