The Latest: Top stories of the day
1. Three of 10 terrorists who entered India through Gujarat earlier this month have reportedly been killed.
2. The Lok Sabha passes real estate bill with Opposition support.
3. Opening at the World T20, New Zealand defeats India by 47 runs.
4. A Hyderabad court issues non-bailable warrants against businessman Vijay Mallya.

The Big Story: A time to talk

In the spotlight, the story of how Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi faces charges of treason for saying that his cricket team is more loved in India than in his own country. In the relative quiet that lies outside the media frenzy, the Pakistani and Indian foreign secretaries met on Tuesday and exchanged courtesies at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Nepal. Pakistan Foreign Secretary Sartaj Aziz is expected to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Nepal this week. The relations that were so rudely disrupted in January after a terror strike on the air force base in Pathankot seem to be going back to normal.

In the public eye, at least, bilateral ties between India and Pakistan had reached an ebb after the Pathankot attack early in Janunary, where terrorists allegedly operating out of Pakistan laid siege to the air force base for about two days. Not surprisingly, the incident followed an apparent breakthrough in ties: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore in December. History would suggest that a moment of warmth between the two countries usually elicits fresh hostilities. But it is also known that the relationship between India and Pakistan is a many-layered thing. Behind the troughs and crests of public gestures, there are quiet back channels working towards strategic and diplomatic goals. Even during their worst crises, the two countries have rarely stopped talking; the most frequently quoted instance of is RK Mishra's trip to Pakistan in the middle of the Kargil war.

But the Pathankot attack brought about a troubling moment of doubt about these resilient channels of communication and the dividends of dialogue. As foreign secretary level talks were shelved and both countries resorted to hardline posturing, it was felt that diplomatic niceties were moot if they couldn't bring about substantive changes. But the space for talks remains important, and must be insulated from both jingoistic brinkmanship and sudden acts of hostility. As the two countries pick up from where they left off, this vital space must be preserved.

The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day's big story
In the wake of the Pathankot attacks, Munir Akram wrote on why India-Pakistan foreign secretary level talks should not go ahead for the moment.

Politicking and policying
1. In the United States primaries, Republican candidate Donald Trump wins Florida while Democrat candidare Hillary Clinton sweeps Ohio, Florida, North Carolina.
2. A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court has been set up to decide on the establishment of a National Court of Appeal.
3. A Jawaharlal Nehru University panel report holds masked outsiders guilty of anti-national slogans.

Punditry
1. In the Hindu, Suresh Menon on how cricket has become the touchstone for defining acts of sedition and treason.|
2. In the Indian Express, Abdul Khaliq on how the row over minority status for Aligarh Muslim University is really a test of the state's commitment to secular democracy.
3. In the Business Standard, Parthasarthi Shome on why this year's budget does not convince, on closer scrutiny.

Don't Miss...
Kumar Sundaram on why the Kakrapar nuclear leak may be more serious than the government is willing to let on:

The Indian nuclear establishment is extremely secretive. When the local community in Koodankulam, the site of a new nuclear plant, demanded basic documents like the Site Selection Committee Report and the Safety Assessment Report, the Nuclear Power Corporation flatly denied.

Last heard, the Department of Atomic Energy wanted amendments in the Right to Information Act to exempt the nuclear establishment. There is complete silence on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the independence and efficiency of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and the questions raised by the Parliamentary Accounts Committee on nuclear safety in India after Fukushima.