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ORF Occasional Paperthreat was directed at Kashmir, there has been a significant expansion ofthe threat to the mainland after 2001. Of all the terrorist attacks in India,including in Kashmir, a majority were carried out by groups operating outof Pakistan–and with links to al Qaeda-and in later years by groups likeIndian Mujahideen (IM) and Hizb-ul Mujahideen. The Taliban and al-Qaeda have not carried out any direct attack on India but their presence inthe neighbourhood remains a subject of grave concern since both havestated their intent to attack India in the past as well as recent times.These developments mean that parts of the region become extremelyvulnerable to instability and violence, impeding India's efforts at ensuringa stable neighbourhood for greater regional integration. It could createnewer threats to the country, compelling India to invest in expanding anddeepening its security architecture at a heavy cost to its exchequer.Early signs of a terrorist upsurge are already visible. Significant pointershave been the recent re-surfacing in Pakistan of Masood Azhar, leader ofJeM, and Mast Gul, leader of Al Umar Mujahideen. The LeT'sphenomenal growth after the Mumbai attacks of November 2008 hasmagnified an existing threat. Al-Qaeda's Pakistan chapter has been callingIndians to take up jihad. The TTP leaders, on various occasions, havesought the revival of jihad in Kashmir. So have Azhar and Hafiz Saeed.Incidentally, Mast Gul, a Pashtun from Kurram agency, had appearedalongside TTP's Peshawar Chief in early 2014. In 1995, Gul was sent byISI to strengthen militant networks in Kashmir. He later joined Al UmarMujahideen, a local militant outfit led by Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar. Zargarwas one of the three terrorist leaders who were released by India inexchange for the passengers of Indian Airlines Flight IC814 in 1999.Zargar has since then revived Al Umar Mujahideen in Muzaffarabad, PoKand has aligned with Syed Salahuddin's United Jehad Council.34www.orfonline.org