The events in Pakistan which have led to a military coup are rather unfortunate for that country. While a democratically elected government in Pakistan was causing enough problems for India by openly supporting terrorism in India, a military regime is certain to present even more security problems for New Delhi. The coup has certainly overshadowed the victory achieved by India in Kargil and has raised new fears about stability. The Atal Behari Vajpayee administration has done the right thing in putting its armed forces on full alert. While it is still too early to know exactly the intentions of the new regime in Islamabad, it can reasonably be expected that the existence of a military regime will lead to increased activities by Muslim extremists in Kashmir. We could also see an escalation of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme. In the interests of world security, the restoration of democracy must be a top priority. This can only be achieved by isolating, not supporting, the military rulers. The newly re-elected Vajpayee government must now realise that India can no longer just address isolated terrorist events as they occur. It must come up with a comprehensive strategy to tackle the problem of terrorism and, should a major conflict with Pakistan erupt, it must act with determination. It must be willing to implement such a strategy should diplomacy fail. MURALI NATARAJAN Bloomington, Illinois, US