In the wake of the Uri assault that took the lives of 18 Indian jawans, Indian commentators have been in understandable outrage, suggesting various rather dramatic courses of action against Pakistan — ranging from “surgical strikes” against terrorist training camps in PoK or even at Muridke near Lahore, to the abrogation of the Indus Waters Treaty to bring the Pakistani economy to its knees.

Yet, the unpalatable truth is this: India has a number of options — diplomatic, economic and military — but most of the feasible ones have been tried before, notably in the aftermath of the major terrorist attack on 26 November 2008 in Mumbai.

The ones that have not been tried — notably reprisals on terrorist bases in Pakistan —are fraught with major risks, notably of escalation, with unpredictable consequences. There are few realistic and effective options for retaliation left.