The premise of tracing the psychological roots of terror to hate is questionable. Hate is unlikely to sustain cool calculations, sophisticated coordination and deployment exhibited by the terror operators. The cannon fodder of terror may be driven by hate. The motivation may be either one related to identity or invoked by a sense of injustice, i.e. the motivation is seeking justice. Pakistan identifies itself with Islam and it is natural for many of them to assume that the logic of partition should bring Kashmir to Pakistan. Here both identity and sense of injustice has formed a deadly combination, driving most of the terror activities in India. The role of Indian state as an entity that permits greater psychological space and creates far better potential for well being is not easy to grasp. Once this becomes discernable, the response of the countering society appears to be either compete harder or to regress further and even deploy repressive means to reinforce conformance of community identity. The motivation of terror will evaporate only when the injustices to their people by their own society become clear.
