Saturday was a cruel day for the residents of the Indian capital of New Delhi, as three bomb blasts at three overcrowded places killed at least 61 people, destroyed some shops and stalls, and blew up a bus. This tragedy coincides with another in which 100 people were killed in Andhra Pradesh on the same day when a train was derailed and fell into a rivulet because torrential rains and flood waters had washed away parts of the track. The loss of innocent lives at both places is equally tragic; the terrorist attacks are, however, far more dangerous in that they, unlike the train mishap, represent the wilful and premeditated acts of misguided human minds hell-bent on causing wanton death and destruction. For this very reason, the attacks deserve to be roundly condemned. The almost simultaneous and apparently coordinated explosions at around 6pm—first in the market place of Paharganj, the second in the middle-class shopping area of Sarojini Nagar, and the third on a bus in southern Delhi—caused red alert in other states and cities, too.

The targeting of overcrowded areas leaves no doubt that the masterminds intended to produce maximum carnage with people shopping in large numbers just ahead of Diwali and the Muslim festival of Eid. Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, with which India has begun a process of composite dialogue aimed at normalising relations and resolving disputes, has condemned the bombings as ‘barbaric’ and ‘a criminal act of terrorism’. Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, while urging people to remain calm, has said, “India will win the battle against terrorism”. Though nobody has owned responsibility for the attacks, the needle of suspicion, it is reported, is pointing towards the Islamic militants from the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The blasts, according to some analysts, were aimed at torpedoing the Indo-Pakistani peace process, with both countries stepping up cooperation after the October 8 earthquake, which killed thousands of people in Kashmir. Whatever the motives of the perpetrators, it does not seem possible that they will be able to achieve their aims by detonating bombs, if experience is any guide. Violence or terrorism is causing problems to virtually all South Asian countries in varying degrees and extent. Dealing with the problem effectively, therefore, calls for cooperation among them. But, if they are to achieve anything concrete, they would do well to focus on areas of agreement and build on these instead of on differences.