"Relations between India and Pakistan have sharply deteriorated since Mumbai terrorist attacks. As Indian anger grows, so does the view that India should support Baloch and Sindhi separatism, either as an alternative to full-scale military retaliation against Pakistan or as a key part of a two-front military strategy," the report said.

Until now New Delhi has rejected Baloch and Sindhi separatists' appeals and the consensus in India has been that a stable Pakistan is in the Indian interest, it said.

But Indian support for separatists in Pakistan will grow, Harrison predicted, unless Islamabad disarms Lashkar-e-Taiba and other jihadis based in Pakistan.

"As an alternative, it would avoid the risk of a direct military encounter that could escalate to the nuclear level and lead to an exodus of foreign investment.

"As part of a two-front strategy, Indian support for Baloch and Sindhi insurgents would keep substantial Pakistani force tied down on the long Sind frontier while others face Indian forces in Kashmir, or the Punjab, or both," Harrison said.