'India may face another major terrorist attack'

With the extremist elements in Pakistan expanding their sphere of influence, an American think tank on Friday warned that there could be another major terrorist attack inside India by these militants.

In its intelligence analysis after the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, Texas-based global intelligence agency Stratfor said India is watching fearfully as the jihadist insurgency in neighbouring Pakistan has spread to India's doorstep in Pakistan's Punjab province.

These attacks, Stratfor said, have revealed a trend in which the Kashmiri Islamist militant proxies formerly controlled by Pakistan's ISI are now moving into the jihadist orbit under al-Qaeda and the Taliban to carry out more complex and deadly attacks.

"Since these are the same militants who traditionally have had their sights on India, it is very likely that India will witness another large-scale attack," Stratfor said.

Under the Congress rule, it said, India restrained itself from attacking Pakistan following the November 2008 Mumbai attack.

"New Delhi's restraint arose from fears of destabilizing Pakistan further and granting the militants' wish for a cross-border conflict to divert the Pakistani military's attention from the Afghan-Pakistani border region toward India," it said.

As the link between Islamabad and its militant proxies grows more nebulous, India will continue to struggle to hold the Pakistani government accountable for such attacks, Stratfor said.

Commenting on the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Stratfor said it is more hard-line on national security issues, and never misses an opportunity to accuse Congress of being soft on terrorism.

"India is more likely to deliver a forceful response to future attacks should the BJP emerge victorious in these elections," it added.