Prakash Singh, former director general of the Border Security Force, told rediff.com, "The Jaipur bomb blasts seem externally inspired with local support and locally available explosives."

He says, "Pakistan seems to be stepping up its subversive activities within India. You cannot overlook the BSF attempts to foil the infiltration at the border last week. Then the six militants were killed in an encounter in Samba near Jammu, and now the Jaipur bomb blasts."

IB: Why smaller towns are terror targets

A K Doval, former director of the Intelligence Bureau, says, "I have hardly any doubt that these blasts are linked to Pakistan. The timing, target, planning and execution has a distinct imprint of terrorists based in Pakistan. The Pakistan Army, Inter Services Intelligence and government do not want trouble at home. So they have channelised the troubled waters into our area. Pakistani planners are minimising their loses by giving a free hand to Jihadis to cross the border."

He says, "It is high time that on nuclear issue and on issue of terrorism, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have a common approach. Otherwise it will be difficult to fight this menace."

Singh adds, "Terrorists keep changing targets to keep law agencies guessing. Jaipur is a tourist city. It will help them attract global attention."