Mumbai attacks a plot to shift Pakistani troops from tribal areas

A commendable article has appeared in The London Times, articulating the theory that  the small army that has attacked selected targets in Mumbai in the past few days has been part of a calculated ploy with a twofold operational mission: (a) “to provoke a crisis, or even a war, between the India and Pakistan”; and by doing so (b) to divert Pakistan’s attention from its Afghan to its Indian border, thus “relieving pressure on al-Qaeda, Taleban and other militants based there”. Such a scenario is strategically plausible, in the sense that it would clearly alleviate the two-sided pressure (from Pakistan and Afghanistan) that al-Qaeda currently faces, thus allowing the group a higher degree of flexibility in Pakistan’s tribal border regions. [IA]

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