There's no sign that the religious riots in Gujarat will end any time soon. According to the international and Indian media, most of the victims are Muslims and the state government is complicit in (or, in the least, unable to control) the carnage. The riots, that were initially described by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a ‘‘a blot on the face of India’’ are costing India the pride and prestige it has built internationally in recent years.

In Pakistan, the riots are being cited as new evidence of incompatibility between Hindus and Muslims thereby reviving discussion of the two-nation theory. At a time when nuclear-armed India and Pakistan need reasons to live with each other in peace, the riots in Gujarat are adding fuel to the religious fires that have divided the impoverished nations of South Asia.