NEW DELHI — Stepping up pressure on Pakistan to help thwart further terrorist attacks on India, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that the Indian government probably would not show the same level of restraint as it did in 2008 if struck again.
Gates, at a news conference, argued that al-Qaeda and other Islamist militant groups are hoping to ignite a regional clash between Pakistan and India, a confrontation he said must be avoided.
Gates has praised the “statesmanship” of India in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, which left at least 166 people dead and has been attributed to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based extremist group aligned with al-Qaeda.
Gates said Wednesday, “I think it is not unreasonable to assume Indian patience would be limited were there to be further attacks.”
