Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has announced in a video message the creation of an Indian branch of his militant group to "raise the flag of jihad" across South Asia.
In the 55-minute video posted online, Zawahiri pledged renewed loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
Correspondents say his stated allegiance is an apparent snub to Islamic State (IS) militants.
IS is challenging al-Qaeda to lead worldwide Islamist militancy.
Announcing the formation of "al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent" using a mixture of his native Arabic and Urdu widely spoken in Pakistan, Zawahiri appeared eager to regain some of the limelight, correspondents say.
"[Al-Qaeda] is an entity that was formed to promulgate the call of the reviving imam, Sheikh Osama Bin Laden. May Allah have mercy upon him," Zawahiri said.
He urged the "umma", or Muslim nation, to "wage jihad against its enemies, to liberate its land, to restore its sovereignty and to revive its caliphate".
Zawahiri said "al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent" would be good news for Muslims in Myanmar (Burma), Bangladesh and in the Indian states of Assam, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, where they would be rescued from injustice and oppression.
Analysis, Sanjoy Majumder, BBC News, DelhiIndia's intelligence and security services are studying the announcement by al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri very closely and have also asked their state units to remain vigilant on any possible threat.
At the same time, however, they see this more as a statement of intent, aimed at attracting fresh recruits to the organisation at a time when it is facing a threat as the pre-eminent global jihadi group from a rising Islamic State.
There is no evidence as yet of any al-Qaeda presence in India.
Islamic militant groups operating here are mostly connected to Kashmiri separatists and have links, tenuous at best, to al-Qaeda via Pakistan-based groups.
At the same time, the security agencies recognise that Zawahiri's speech could well appeal to disaffected Muslim youth in India.
It's not surprising, therefore, that he speaks of Kashmir, Gujarat and Assam - three states where Muslims have been the victims of either anti-insurgency operations or religious riots.
A spokesperson for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) told the Associated Press news agency that the statement was "a matter of serious concern".
"But there is nothing to worry about. We have a strong government at the federal level," the spokesperson said.
Counter-terrorism experts say al-Qaeda's ageing leadership is vying with IS to recruit followers after the success of militants in the Middle East in attracting young followers worldwide by conquering large amounts of territory across Iraq and Syria.
IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi describes himself as a "caliph" - or head of state - and has called for the support of all Muslims around the world.
The two groups fell out in 2013 over the IS expansion into Syria, where Baghdadi's followers have carried out decapitations, crucifixions and other forms of capital punishment.
On Wednesday it emerged that Pakistani militants linked to IS have been distributing pamphlets in the north-western city of Peshawar calling on people to support their idea of creating an Islamic caliphate.
Graffiti and car stickers supporting IS have also started appearing in the city and its outskirts, reports the BBC Shahzeb Jillani in Pakistan.
The material, published in the Pashto and Dari languages, urges people to support IS in its fight for a grand Islamic rule.
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