The defense minister's assertion came after suspected Muslim militants staged two high profile attacks, following the government's announcement last week that it will extend its unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir. An attack on the historic Red Fort in the Indian capital, last week, was followed by Monday's bomb blast outside army headquarters in Srinagar. A suspected suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives to the main gate of the army headquarters, killing soldiers and civilians. Meanwhile, police in New Delhi have arrested one Muslim militant alleged to have been involved in last week's attack on the Red Fort. Police say his accomplice was shot dead in a gunbattle that took place when they raided a house in a crowded Muslim neighborhood.
Police say there is a high alert at airports, rail stations, bus terminals and government offices.
Kashmir is India's only Muslim-majority region. More than 30 thousand people have been killed in the region since a Muslim insurgency flared in 1989. The ceasefire that came into effect in Kashmir in late November is the Indian government's first significant peace initiative in its decade-long struggle with the separatists.