India blames militants for bombings

BOMBAY, India -- India's government blamed Muslim militants Tuesday for explosions that shook Bombay a day earlier and accused rival Pakistan of trying to destabilize the country.

Indian officials stopped short of saying Pakistan had dispatched the bombers, but the comments appeared sure to undermine a fragile peace process between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. They have fought three wars, two over the divided Kashmir province.

The attacks Monday killed 50 people and wounded 154, Muslims and Hindus alike. No one has claimed responsibility.

At least five other explosions in Bombay in the last six months have been blamed on the pro-Pakistan Lashkar-e-Tayyaba group and its ally, the Students' Islamic Movement of India.

"The people responsible before appear to be the people responsible now," Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani said.

He said Lashkar-e-Tayyaba's involvement "raises doubts about our neighbor," a reference to Pakistan, and claimed Pakistan was trying to destabilize the entire country.

Pakistan, which banned Lashkar-e-Tayyaba last year, rejected the claim. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Advani "often levels baseless allegations against Pakistan."

"Pakistan has never supported terrorism in India," Ahmed said. "Pakistan is ready to discuss all issues with India. We are waiting for their response for a dialogue."

The bombs, stashed in the trunks of two taxis, exploded minutes apart, ripping through a crowded jewelry market and in front of a British-built monumental archway and tourist attraction.

Police are looking for five suspects, including two women who hired the taxi that went to the Gateway of India. They got out of the taxi after leaving a bag inside. The driver also was strolling outside when the car blew up. The driver of the second cab at the Zaveri Bazaar died in the explosion, police said.

Opposition leader Sonia Gandhi also appeared to blame Pakistan. "There are terrorists coming from outside," she said.

Relations between the two nations have improved in recent months. A peace process was back on track after being broken off when the two nations nearly went to war over an attack on the Indian parliament in late 2001. Since then, diplomatic ties have been restored, buses are crossing the border and officials are talking about resuming air links.

But Indian officials said Tuesday that the terrorist attacks make peace initiatives difficult. Navtej Sarna, spokesman for the External Affairs Ministry, said "such threats to our peace and security are likely to continue" unless Pakistan stops supporting terrorism.

Lashkar-e-Tayyaba is one of more than a dozen Islamic rebel groups that has been fighting Indian security forces in Kashmir since 1989, seeking independence for the Himalayan province or its merger with Muslim-majority Pakistan. India has often accused Pakistan of aiding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and of sponsoring cross-border terrorism, allegations that Islamabad denies.

Past terrorist attacks have sometimes triggered sectarian violence, but fears over revenge violence eased Tuesday morning as residents of this city of 16 million crowded into the streets as normal.

"Even after the blasts, both Hindus and Muslims were together in the rescue," said Sohail Rokadia, a Muslim community leader and businessman. "If the aim was to create a distance between the two communities, the perpetrators have failed."

A group of 200 Muslims waving the national flag and peace banners marched in Bombay to condemn the attack.

The reason for Monday's bombings remained unclear. They came just hours after the release of a long-anticipated archaeological report on a religious site in the northern city of Ayodhya claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. The dispute over the site has been the source of much bloodshed in the past, including riots in Bombay in 1992 in which thousands were killed, mostly Muslims.