India is under assault. One doesn't know yet who was responsible for the terror blasts that struck Mumbai on Wednesday - killing around 18 and injuring more than 100 - but their motives are crystal clear. First, India's financial capital has high symbolic value as a target.
Second, two of the localities targeted are crowded business areas - hubs of the gold and diamond trade - and all three attacks happened at rush hour. The aim was clearly to inflict maximum damage, disrupt economic life by spreading fear as well as mar social peace in a cosmopolitan metropolis like Mumbai.
While no one has claimed responsibility yet, it's of a pattern with past attacks carried out by the Indian Mujahideen (IM). Among many pointers there is the use of tiffin carriers and cloth bags, and the 13th as a preferred date. The attack comes just before foreign ministers of India and Pakistan are due to meet this month.
Similarly the Pune bakery blasts took place on February 13, 2010 - right after the announcement of resumption of India-Pakistan dialogue. The Pune bakery had been surveyed prior to the blasts by David Coleman Headley of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an organisation known to hide and train IM members in Pakistan.
2008 had seen a string of attacks by the IM, followed by some successes scored by security agencies in cracking down on its networks in India. But the Mumbai blasts could be an indication that the IM is reviving again. The relative lull in terror attacks since 2008 has allowed complacency to set in.
That was evident in the goof-ups in the 'Most Wanted' list that was posted to Pakistan. It's clear that there's nowhere near the desired level of coordination among security agencies in India. Many of the internal security reforms proposed after the 26/11 attacks have bitten the dust.
Unless authorities ramp up security not just in Mumbai but across Indian cities, we could be back to 2008 or earlier. Our anti-terror agencies, including the premier National Investigation Agency, seem more geared to cleaning up after the event than preventing terror. This must change. Let's not say terror will sometimes hit us no matter how vigilant we are.
Our aim should be 100% deterrence, even in cities with high population density. If Mumbai's police-to-people ratio needs increasing, the force nationwide needs more muscle. Better intelligence gathering and forensics capability are a must.
Shared databases for crime fighters will aid information exchange and nabbing operations. IM's network, for instance, ranges from Maharashtra to UP and Karnataka. Only inter-state coordination can choke terror cells and destroy their strike capability.
The AfPak region is now global terrorism's epicentre. The terrorism issue must be strongly raised in talks with Pakistan. The government has rightly refused to defer the foreign ministers' meet - there's no concrete evidence that points to a Pakistani link to the Mumbai blasts yet. But there is concrete evidence linking Pakistan to 26/11 - in which case there has been minimal cooperation in investigating the attacks.
Both Pakistani president Zardari and prime minister Gilani have condemned the Mumbai attacks. If they really mean it, they should have no objections to handing over voice samples of 26/11 accused, or rolling up terror training camps on Pakistani territory.
Second, two of the localities targeted are crowded business areas - hubs of the gold and diamond trade - and all three attacks happened at rush hour. The aim was clearly to inflict maximum damage, disrupt economic life by spreading fear as well as mar social peace in a cosmopolitan metropolis like Mumbai.
While no one has claimed responsibility yet, it's of a pattern with past attacks carried out by the Indian Mujahideen (IM). Among many pointers there is the use of tiffin carriers and cloth bags, and the 13th as a preferred date. The attack comes just before foreign ministers of India and Pakistan are due to meet this month.
Similarly the Pune bakery blasts took place on February 13, 2010 - right after the announcement of resumption of India-Pakistan dialogue. The Pune bakery had been surveyed prior to the blasts by David Coleman Headley of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an organisation known to hide and train IM members in Pakistan.
2008 had seen a string of attacks by the IM, followed by some successes scored by security agencies in cracking down on its networks in India. But the Mumbai blasts could be an indication that the IM is reviving again. The relative lull in terror attacks since 2008 has allowed complacency to set in.
That was evident in the goof-ups in the 'Most Wanted' list that was posted to Pakistan. It's clear that there's nowhere near the desired level of coordination among security agencies in India. Many of the internal security reforms proposed after the 26/11 attacks have bitten the dust.
Unless authorities ramp up security not just in Mumbai but across Indian cities, we could be back to 2008 or earlier. Our anti-terror agencies, including the premier National Investigation Agency, seem more geared to cleaning up after the event than preventing terror. This must change. Let's not say terror will sometimes hit us no matter how vigilant we are.
Our aim should be 100% deterrence, even in cities with high population density. If Mumbai's police-to-people ratio needs increasing, the force nationwide needs more muscle. Better intelligence gathering and forensics capability are a must.
Shared databases for crime fighters will aid information exchange and nabbing operations. IM's network, for instance, ranges from Maharashtra to UP and Karnataka. Only inter-state coordination can choke terror cells and destroy their strike capability.
The AfPak region is now global terrorism's epicentre. The terrorism issue must be strongly raised in talks with Pakistan. The government has rightly refused to defer the foreign ministers' meet - there's no concrete evidence that points to a Pakistani link to the Mumbai blasts yet. But there is concrete evidence linking Pakistan to 26/11 - in which case there has been minimal cooperation in investigating the attacks.
Both Pakistani president Zardari and prime minister Gilani have condemned the Mumbai attacks. If they really mean it, they should have no objections to handing over voice samples of 26/11 accused, or rolling up terror training camps on Pakistani territory.
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