Security personnel patrol after two low-intensity explosions reported in the technical area of Jammu Air Force Station on Sunday

The timing of the attack suggests that the objective is to sabotage the India-Pakistan backchannel dialogue, as well as the Delhi-Srinagar thaw. And that is why it is important that South Block stays the course with its diplomatic approach to the West (engagement with all actors in Afghanistan and keeping the peace at the Line of Control and the international border with Pakistan) and political approach to Kashmir

In a first, terrorists used low-flying drones to drop two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the technical area of the Indian Air Force station in Jammu in the early hours of June 27. While there were no casualties, the attack must be taken seriously. Terrorists (and their backers across the border whose role in the current attack requires careful investigation) perhaps wanted to send a message about their abilities by attacking a high-security defence installation. They were also, perhaps, sending a signal about their adroitness in using technology to inflict damage. But more than anything, at a time when there is both a ceasefire with Pakistan and political outreach in Kashmir, the terror apparatus is reminding Delhi that it is still active and will not be side lined without resorting to what it knows best — violence.

India doesn’t need these reminders. As a victim of terrorism, it had been flagging the threat posed by non-State actors with various degrees of State backing and Pakistan’s dubious role, much before the world woke up to reality. The State is conscious it has to defeat the politics of terror, irrespective of sources and motivation. Sunday’s attack should lead to a thorough review of security preparedness across vital Indian defence installations. It should also lead to a review of India’s abilities to quell drone-based attacks. And it must put the intelligence and security establishment on alert, since such attacks, a product of ideological indoctrination and easy availability of technology, may intensify.

It may intensify because the timing of the attack suggests that the objective is to sabotage the India-Pakistan backchannel dialogue, as well as the Delhi-Srinagar thaw. And that is why it is important that South Block stays the course with its diplomatic approach to the West (engagement with all actors in Afghanistan and keeping the peace at the Line of Control and the international border with Pakistan) and political approach to Kashmir (renewed engagement with domestic political mainstream actors and a roadmap for elections and statehood). If evidence surfaces of complicity of any element of the Pakistani establishment, Delhi must make it public and hold it accountable. But it would do well to recognise the heterogeneous impulses at play in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. India should continue to both enhance its security and display political inclusivity and openness. That is exactly what the spoilers don’t want.