Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

In December, the Indian government reached an agreement with the Pakistani government for a
second visit of a Pakistan Judicial Commission to visit India to cross-examine witnesses for the
Mumbai attack prosecutions in Pakistan, but the visit must be approved by the courts in both
countries; this had not occurred by year’s end. Terrorist opponents of better India-Pakistan
relations, including LeT and its leader Hafiz Saeed, continued to call for violent attacks against
India.
The United States and India increased counterterrorism capacity building efforts and
cooperation, with the Indians participating in several courses provided by the Department of
State’s Antiterrorism Assistance program, along with other regional capacity building programs.
The annual U.S.-India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group meeting allowed both countries to
share counterterrorism perspectives and policies, as well as propose initiatives for future
cooperation. In addition, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, through the Office of the
Legal Attaché, conducted additional exchanges with Indian law enforcement personnel, and
DHS, through the Homeland Security Dialogue with the Ministry of Home Affairs, expanded its
interaction with Indian officials on cyber security, counterfeit Indian currency that could be used
to finance terrorism, port security, and megacity policing initiatives.
2012 Terrorist Incidents: Apart from Maoist violence, there were two significant terrorist
incidents:
On February 13, the wife of an Israeli diplomat was severely injured when a bomb was
placed on the back of her car as she drove in New Delhi in an area near both the Prime
Minister’s residence and the diplomatic enclave. Similar attempts to bomb Israeli targets
in other countries around the same time led many to believe that Iran might be
responsible for the attack.
On August 1, 30 roadside bombs were discovered in Pune, Maharashtra. One of the
bombs exploded causing injuries, and Antiterrorism Assistance program-trained law
enforcement officials helped disarm the remaining bombs. By December, Indian police
had arrested eight suspected members of the Indian Mujahedeen on suspicion of having
planted the bombs.
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: In late June, Indian authorities in New
Delhi arrested LeT member Sayeed Zabiuddin Ansari, alias Abu Jindal, one of the instigators of
the November 2008 Mumbai attack. Jindal’s voice was recorded by the Indian authorities
monitoring the phone calls, which has directly implicated him in the massacre. In November, just
before the fourth anniversary of the Mumbai attack, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone
surviving Pakistani gunman in those attacks, was executed.
As part of its strategy to increase border security, the Ministry of Home Affairs Department of
Border Management is building fences and roads and installing floodlights along both the Indo-
Pakistan border and the Indo-Bangladesh border. In 2012, land was identified for the
establishment of 116 of 131 new coastal police stations and the land acquisition process began
for 74 of those stations as part of the government’s Coastal Security Plan.
The Government of India’s efforts to establish a National Counterterrorism Center were stalled
when Chief Ministers from several states objected to its establishment on the grounds that it
infringed upon the states’ constitutional rights and responsibilities to maintain law and order.
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