India blames Pakistan for Mumbai blasts

After a gap of nearly three years of peace, India’s commercial capital Mumbai witnessed on July 13, the evils of alleged terrorism with bomb blasts.

The attacks took place between 6.54 pm and 705 pm, killing 21 persons and injuring nearly 150 people in Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House (South Mumbai) and Kabutarkhana (Dadar). Some suggested that it was a coordinated attack to cause maximum chaos and damage and demoralise people.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said all anti-Indian terrorist organisations will be under watch.

Maharastra’s Anti-Terrorists Squad (ATS) has started initial investigations with active cooperation from the central agencies.

Skeptics view the incident as a failure of Indian intelligence agencies, while senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party Lal Krishna Advani said that it reflected India’s ambiguous stance on countering terrorism.

Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh has assured that the Government will do all it can to prevent future attacks.

However, the attacks are viewed as a serious blow on the counter-terrorism strategy of Mr Chidambaram, who took the Home portfolio from Shivraj Patil after the terrorist attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

US President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have condemned the attacks.

The attacks come just before the arrival of Ms Clinton due in India on Monday (July 18) for the second round of Indo-US strategic dialogue. India will use the occasion to urge the US to help facilitate Pakistan to remove its terror infrastructure.

Security analysts in India believe that the attacks were the brainchild of Pakistani terrorists organisations under the mentorship of the Pakistan military.

Balaji Chandramohan is our Correspondent based in New Delhi.