On the positive side one of India’s most wanted men Abu Salem and his "second wife" Monica Bedi who has kept him company for long are in the custody of the Indian police. The police expect Monica to ``sing’’ under pressure. It will also provide them with an opportunity to crosscheck assertions by the husband-wife duo, kept in separate jails.

On Sunday, during the course of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meet in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the most direct attack in a long time on what India perceives as Pakistan’s duplicity in taking on the terror infrastructure.

Manmohan said that Pakistan was still not doing enough to dismantle the terror outfits operating from its soil. "There has been some reduction. But, unfortunately, we feel all that needs to be done has not been done." In a pointed reference to Pakistan and India’s anxiety on the matter, Manmohan said that "India could choose its friends but not its neighbors." On the Delhi triple blasts, Singh said "available clues did suggest external linkages" of the terrorist outfits involved in the incident but refrained from saying anything substantial since investigations are underway.

"We have to do business with the Pakistan government. There is a trust deficit between the two countries but it's our obligation to convert it into a surplus. Nothing great is achieved by using harsh language in full public glare," he said. Manmohan has also ruled out any demilitarization or troop-reduction in Indian Kashmir till cross-border terrorism is stopped.

There is cause for Manmohan’s worry. Delhi Police on Sunday officially announced the arrest of Tariq Ahmed Dar (32), an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, due to painstaking investigation involving over 300 personnel into the worst-ever terrorist attack in the Capital. Announcing the ``big find,’’ the city police chief, K K Paul said that the blasts were carried out by Dar, and his accomplices, Pakistan nationals, Abu Al Qama and Abu Huzefa. In a surprising revelation Dar has turned out to be a well-to-do sales representative with a reputed multinational company Johnson & Johnson and has won best employee awards. Al Qama, who operates from Pakistan, is the chief of LeT operations in the Valley, while Hufeza is his subordinate.

The confirmation of Pakistan's hand by the Indian police will cast a further shadow on the peace process, which came under strain after the serial bombings in the Capital.

Amidst all the gloomy news, has been the breakthrough by the police that is by far one of the biggest catch ever. Mumbai has witnessed high drama over the weekend as the police have finally managed to lay their hands on Salem, one of the most dreaded gangsters from the underworld to have fallen in the net. Salem was extradited from Portugal where he was incarcerated after long-drawn follow up by Indian investigating agencies that provided courts in Lisbon clinching evidence against the mobster. India has also given an undertaking that Salem will not be handed the death penalty for his crimes in keeping with European norms.

Salem at one time was a close associate of India’s most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim who India believes lives in Pakistan under state protection. He will certainly provide key insights into the workings of the underworld, including several crimes such as killings of prominent businessmen, extortion, smuggling of drugs and gold, prostitution, kidnappings, control over Bollywood (India’s humongous film industry), but most important of it all, the role of gangsters, referred to as ``bhais (brothers)’’ in orchestrating terrorism at the behest of the Pakistani army and the feared Inter Services Agency (ISI). Salem had a bitter fall out with Dawood. Some police officials say that it is Dawood who set up Salem’s arrest.

While interrogating Salem the police will zero in on the serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993 that had crippled India’s commercial capital and left more than 250 dead and over 1000 injured, in which the underworld is believed to have fronted for the ISI. Salem is said to possess bank accounts and properties across Europe, Middle East and the US where his "first wife" resides.

Reports in most Monday papers say that Salem has confessed to his role in the Mumbai blasts and detailed the extent of Pakistani involvement. Polices sources have been quoted as saying that Salem has provided specific dates and locations of the meetings between Dawood and Pakistan’s ISI men. All of this will, however, will also have to be proved beyond doubt in the courts.

In a double whammy the police have also managed to bring in Salem’s "second wife" Monica, a former Bollywood starlet, whom the don promoted before their luck ran out and they were picked up by the police in Portugal in possession of forged passports. At one time in the 90s, film producers and directors who did not offer Bedi meaty roles were threatened and at least couple shot. Bedi has starred in several grade one Bollywood movies opposite stars such as Sanjay Dutt, also under a cloud due to his alleged underworld links. There are reports of several other such molls who have tried to make in big riding on the backing provided by their shady benefactors.

India's constant refrain has been that Pakistan has for long been harboring terrorists, including Dawood. India has in the past made strong efforts to convince the US of the complicity of Pakistan allowing Dawood, as well as others such as Masood Azhar, to flourish. Azhar is the founder of the Islamic extremist group, the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed that is accused of leading several terror attacks in India. Azhar was released by India in exchange for the lives of 150 passengers traveling on Indian Airlines flight IC 814 from Kathmandu in Nepal that was hijacked in December 1999 by Pakistani nationals with links to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He continues to live and preach in Pakistan. The police will also look for information about other dons such as Tiger Memon, Chhota Rajan and Chhota Shakeel.

Indian intelligence agencies have in the past few years cracked into the e-mail IDs of Dawood and Shakeel that revealed their presence in Pakistan. The attackers on the Indian Parliament in December 13, 2001 also used a laptop as well as e-mail to stay connected with their godfathers in the Middle East and Pakistan.