International Relations - OpED Assignment - Term Paper Example

The sophisticated arms that they used and the manner of the attacks point to a well funded, well trained group that bears the signature of the Lahkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) and its several variants. Unlike in the case of many of the other terror attacks where bombs were placed in crowded places, this was a strange attack like the one on Parliament in 2002. The targeting of well known landmarks and high profile places including “Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus”, the Taj and Trident hotels and Nariman house shows some previous knowledge of the place obtained by regular visits or through local people.

Mumbai as the country’s financial and business centre has always been an obvious target for those seeking to destabilize the Indian state and terrorist’s attacks have been occurring in the city in the recent past. To maximize international attention, the terrorists have targeted Cafe Leopold, and Nariman house both visited by tourists frequently besides the hotels. Some reports speak of their seeking foreign nationals, mainly American and British for hostage-taking. The interrogation of those in custody should provide some details of the people and the organization behind the attack.

The use of sea route by terrorists who could have landed on a small boat from out of a larger vessel in the high seas off the coast of Mumbai opens up the possibility of their coming in from Karachi. While the government of Pakistan appears to be serious in putting any form of support that it’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) provided for terrorism behind and in its pursuit of improved relations with India, there are several groups in the country that go about quiet openly recruiting and training people for terrorist attacks in India.

Given the series of attacks within Pakistan itself, its government’s determination and ability to contain terrorist element within is no doubt open to question. Nevertheless, Islamabad needs to reminded once again to