Another terror attack in India similar to 26/11 with footprints in Pakistan will lead to war: Experts

Ar major terrorist attack in India of magnitude similar to 26/11 strike originating from Pakistan could easily escalate into a regional war, scholars, former diplomats and US officials have warned ahe of 10th anniversary of dely Mumbai terror attack.

Some 166 people, including Americans, were killed in attack carried out by Pakistan-based 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists. Nine of attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was captured and hanged after handed down death sentence by an Indian court.

Perpetrators of 26/11 attack, including its mastermind and banned Jamat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, continue to roam freely in Pakistan, indicating that Islamab is t serious in bringing m to justice. JuD is believed to be front group for LeT. US has offered a USD 10 million bounty for Saeed.

26/11 attack case has entered into 10th year but ne of its seven suspects in Pakistan has been punished yet, showing that case h never been in its priority list.

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" victims of 26/11 have yet to see masterminds of attack in LeT and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) face justice; unfortunately, that is virtually impossible in Pakistan," former Central Intelligence ncy official Bruce Riedel told PTI.

Riedel, senior fellow and director of Brookings Intelligence Project, believes that ar terror attack in India of similar magnitude would result in a war between two countries."If ar attack of this magnitude occurs, re will be war," he said.

Pakistan's former envoy to US Husain Haqqani said: "With US-Pakistan relations in a tailspin and hawkish attitudes dominating subcontinent, one cant predict if and how situation would be controlled in event of ar major terrorist attack in India, with clear links to groups in Pakistan".

Currently a senior fellow and Director for South and Central Asia at Hudson Institute, Haqqani said Pakistan "must fulfil its promise of acting" against masterminds of 26/11 attack. "That it has chosen to let m operate freely raises justifiable concern that Pakistan's deep state does t want to deter or punish terrorists responsible for attacks in India.

"In 2008, Pakistan's promise of acting against LeT and those involved in Mumbai attack prevented escalation of India-Pakistan hostilities. US also helped calm things down by sharing intelligence with both Pakistan and India," he said.

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Agreed a senior Bush ministration official, who was inside White House at time of attack."That (India-Pakistan war) was a primary concern and a primary scenario that we wanted to avoid," Anish Goel, who was director of South Asia in National Security Council of White House at time of 26/11 attack, told PTI.

ting that re was a lot of pressure on n prime minister Manmohan Singh "to react kinetically", Goel said n president George Bush and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice h to make a lot of efforts including several phone calls to New Delhi, Islamab and leers of several US allies to prevent such a scenario.

Bush was very concerned, and got on phone with Singh immediately, offering condolences and urging restraint, he said. Rice travelled to region trying to cool things.

"re's a lot of public pressure. I think prime minister Singh himself was showing a lot of restraint and was t inclined to do a counter attack right away, but re was a lot of political pressure on him to do so," said Goel.

" US, I believe -- I don't kw for sure, you have to ask Indian government to kw -- having counseling or urging him to show restraint, gave him some sort of political leeway and maneuverability to resist domestic political pressures from those calling for a quick counterstrike on Pakistan," he said, ding that at point re was any evidence of military mobilisation.

"re was a sense of nervousness in n Bush ministration about a possible nuclear war in South Asia. Mumbai terror attack started a day before Thanksgiving  a national holiday in US  and did t end till Sunday, last day of long weekend. Bush t only held situation room meeting on Saturday, but also mobilised his entire ministration to try and prevent escalation of tension," Goel ded.

A senior former Obama ministration official said if ar attack would have happened like that, it would "quickly escalates into a regional war".

current government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has alrey "taken a tough line" against Islamab including a surgical strike, official said on anymity."I could certainly foresee a situation where he (prime  minister Modi) escalates those quite a bit in response to terrorist attack. n for US government, I just don't kw if Trump ministration would counsel restraint way Bush ministration did," he said.

Trump ministration might say y (Indians) are justified, he said. "t only are we t going to stop you, but we're going to help you. I don't kw that y would do, but I don't kw if y would carry same mess of constraints. So, when you're talking about what could happen in region, if re was ar Mumbai attack after Pakistanis have promised re's terrorists operating in our country and we're going after all of m, I could see a scenario which quickly escalates into a regional war," he ded