The Latest: Top stories of the day

1. Pathankot attack: Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar arrested by Pakistan.

2. Four Indians held in Damascus for trying to join ISIS.

3. Uber is paying a $7-million fine to continue running in California.

4. Friends cast to reunite for two-hour special 12 years after show ended

The Big Story: Terror versus talks

Pakistan detained Masood Azhar, chief of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, on Monday. Four of his associates have also been taken into custody.

Pakistan’s The News reported that Azhar has been taken to an undisclosed destination and is being questioned. Reports have also come in of Pakistani officials raiding a house in Islamabad, said to be the home of Azhar’s brother-in-law, Ashfaq Ahmed.

Azhar is the prime suspect for the terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force Base earlier this month.

A number of Pakistani media outlets, including Dawn, however, reported that Azhar had merely been taken into “protective custody”. Earlier, Pakistan had also taken similar action against Hafiz Saeed, arresting him, for example, after the July 11, 2006, train bombings in Mumbai. However, the detention proved ineffective and Saeed went on to coordinate the 26/11 terror attacks on several targets across India's commercial capital two years later. Azhar himself had been arrested in 2001, following the Parliament attacks, only to be released by Pakistan’s judiciary.

From India's point of view, though, this move by Pakistan will create more breathing space for dialogue. The Indian government said that a final decision on the proposed Foreign Secretary-level talks will be taken on Thursday after National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Express reported.

The Big Scroll

Is the Pathankot attack an attempt to derail the Indo-Pak peace process? Not really. In fact, it might even be an opportunity for India and Pakistan to move beyond holding talks hostage to terror. Given that Narendra Modi comes with a huge mandate and an ability to silence the hawks, this is as good an opportunity as South Asia will get.

Politicking and policying

1. Comedian Kiku Sharda arrested for making fun of a self-professed godman.

2. Yes, the odd-even rule will be back in Delhi, says Gopal Rai.

3. Muzaffarnagar: Mother of 3 kills herself as rape clip goes public.

4. Jallikattu row: Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman tells Tamil Nadu govt to bring in an ordinance

Punditry

1. A full engagement with Pakistan cannot withstand major terror strikes, argues Vivek Katju in the Indian Express.

2. It is puzzling why India would pick a battle with China outside of its own neighbourhood, when it benefits India to engage China, asks Suhasini Haidar in the Hindu.

3. In the Telegraph, Ashok Shekar Ganguly asks whether India needs a new Parliament building.

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Dilli Haat, the capital's much-loved handicraft complex, was intended to give artisans a venue at which to sell their goods. But it has been taken over by traders, writes Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri.

"Technically, only craftspersons registered with Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) are eligible to set up stalls at the Haat, which are allotted on a rotational basis for a fortnight at minimal rent. However, the reality these days is quite different, Jaitly said.

'Many traders posing as craftspersons have come to occupy the stalls permanently,' she said. 'They have found about 20 different ways to keep sitting there through underhanded methods and have taken on the form of an ugly mafia. They gang up against any honest official trying to enforce any rules and threaten to beat them up.'"