Police in India claimed yesterday to have established a link between Pakistan’s intelligence service and last week’sattack on parliament in New Delhi that claimed 12 lives. Five men armed with AK-47s and explosives stormed thecomplex on Thursday, killing five policemen, a security guard and a gardener, and themselves.

India’s Foreign Minister said India had issued a formal complaint to the Pakistani high commission claiming it had”technical evidence” that the attack was the work of one of two Kashmiri Islamic militant groups: eitherLashkar-e-Taiba (the Army of the Pure) and Jaish-e-Mohamed (the Nation of Mohamed). India has given Pakistan anultimatum to shut down the two groups, which some link to the al-Qa’ida network. The Indian police said yesterdaythey had arrested three people as part of their investigation.

After the five terrorists were found to be carrying dried food, ropes and mobile phones, speculation escalated thatthey had planned to take MPs hostage. But Pakistan has warned India not to launch attacks across its border onsuspected terrorist camps.

The dangerous deterioration in relations between India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, brings nearer the prospectof air strikes on Lashkar-e-Taiba bases in the disputed territory of Kashmir. At the same time Pakistan isreinforcing its border with Afghanistan to head off al-Qa’ida fighters making a last stand at Tora Bora, only a fewmiles from the frontier.

The rising tension presents the US administration with a serious problem in its oath to take action against terrorismwherever it occurs, because it relies on Pakistan for its military operation in Afghanistan.

Guest:

• Sputnik Kilambi, Free Speech Radio News correspondent in Hyderabad, India.