INDIA:Initial inquiry suggests attacks were not carried out by Kashmiri Islamists, writes Rahul Bedi
The decision by India and Pakistan not to call off bilateral peace talks following yesterday's train blast that killed 66 people, augurs well for relations between the normally antagonistic neighbours.
"The thoughtful and mature circumspection with which the two sides have dealt with the fall-out of the violent incident is a positive sign," said retired brigadier Arun Sahgalm, a Pakistan expert and government security adviser. It remains to be seen how they will continue to deal with the situation, he added.
Senior officials admit that for the first time the two foreign offices were working closely, with India offering to issue 300 emergency visas to relatives of Pakistanis killed or injured. Indian and Pakistani visas usually take weeks if not months to be issued, if at all.
There was also some, albeit limited, modicum of co-ordination between the security agencies on either side of the border, a radical break from the past when they were sworn enemies.
Even the normally strident Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party did not demand that peace talks with Pakistan be broken off, while the Communist allies of the ruling Congress Party have called for closer security co-operation between Delhi and Islamabad following the train bombing.
Meanwhile, security sources said that on initial investigation it appeared the blasts were not the handiwork of Islamists fighting Kashmir's civil war, because a "new" kind of explosive had been used.
Forensic experts confirmed that a mix of easily available kerosene, sulphur and potassium nitrate was used. This differs from previous blasts when the plastic explosive RDX, favoured by Islamist groups operating in India, was used.
Although it is too early to draw conclusions about who planted the bombs, the involvement of other terrorist groups cannot be ruled out.