Description: Several people were reported to have been critically injured and eight people were reported dead after a car bomb detonated near the Red Fort imperial palace tourist site in New Delhi. The investigation by the Indian security forces so far has identified Dr. Umar un-Nabi Bhat as the principal perpetrator of the attack, as he was identified through analysis of the CCTV footage obtained from the surrounding buildings where the attack occurred. Indian investigators believed that Umar had close ties to Jaish e Mohammed (JeM), Pakistani separatist militant group which operated in the disputed Kashmir region. Umar was also tied to the Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, which is a militant group affiliated with Al Qaeda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims and the injured and vowed swift retaliation against the perpetrators of the attack.
Impact: The attack in New Delhi arrived only a day before the car bomb attack in Pakistan’s capital. The simultaneous attacks conducted by terrorist, militant or separatist groups are evidently fueling the bilateral tensions between the two countries which have been on a continuous historical confrontational path. India is yet to concisely connect the suspected perpetrator of the attack with Pakistan as the state sponsor behind the car bomb in New Delhi, however, Umar’s connections to Pakistani separatist groups could mold the public narrative towards a more serious retaliation against Pakistan. Bilateral tensions are on the highest level since the four-day war earlier in May this year, with terrorist, militant and separatist groups further escalating the confrontational stance in both India and Pakistan. Direct confrontation in the immediate future is not expected, however, depending on the outcome of the separate investigations for the bombings in Islamabad and New Delhi combined with the traditional escalatory narrative from both governments, the countries could reignite armed hostilities in the mid to long – term.