Terror Attack Tests Pakistan-India Relations

Terror rattled Gurdaspur, India for more than twelve hours on Monday as terrorists launched an attack in the Punjab state. The attack reportedly began around 5:30 AM when the terrorists attempted to hijack a bus.

After the failed bus hijacking, the suspects hijacked a car and reportedly killed a roadside vendor. The hijackers used the vehicle to get to the Dinanagar police station in Gurdaspur. Clad in army uniforms, the attackers stormed the police station where they engaged in a near-twelve hour firefight with Indian police and paramilitary. In the midst of the firefight, five bombs were discovered along railroad tracks, shutting down train services in the area. Once the firefight was resolved, nine people were dead, including the three attackers.

The terrorists have not yet been identified, but many people have taken to social media to air their suspicions of whom the perpetrators were. Many pointed fingers towards Pakistan, as a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office revealed there were reports of “Pakistan infiltration and cross-border mischief in the area.”

Furthermore Indian intelligence suggests there was a warning of Pakistan-based militants planning an attack in the Punjab state. The Pakistan government was quick to release a statement condemning the attack, calling the attack a terrorist attack, a move that is not common from the Pakistanis.

Pakistani and Indian relations have been tense to say the least for decades after the two nations went to war three times between 1947 and 1971. Most recently, Indian Prime Minister Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met in Russia to discuss the two countries relations. The most notable outcome of these talks was both sides agreeing on India’s definition of terrorism. In the past, India has been particularly critical of Pakistan’s distinguishing between useful terrorists, who target India, often with the assistance of the Pakistani ISI, and the terrorist groups which target the Pakistani government.

Tensions rose after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks after Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, one of the masterminds behind the attacks, was released from a Pakistani prison under a court order.

As previously stated, the identities of the terrorists have not been revealed yet, however Monday’s attack had an astonishing resemblance to attacks carried out in the Jammu region of India earlier this year.

On March 20, two militants belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistani militant group, stormed a police station in Kathua while clad in military uniforms. Attacks in Punjab are rare, with the last attack occurring five years ago when militants engaged in a deadly firefight with policemen. Attacks are far more common in neighboring Kashmir, a highly disputed region where militant groups such as Jaish-e-Moahhamed have been attempting to liberate Kashmir from India’s control and unite it with Pakistan.

If the attack’s responsibility does fall with Jaish-e-Mohammed, it could be a sign that the group, who switched its focus in 2008 from Kashmir to Afghanistan, may once again be refocusing on Kashmir. If this proves to be true, a great deal of stress will be placed on Indian-Pakistani relations, and Pakistan’s recent agreement to condemn terrorism on Indian terms will be put to the ultimate test.