Pak terror groups planning fresh attacks on India: PM

Addressing the second chief ministers conference on internal security,  the prime minister said there was “need for continued vigil” after the Mumbai terrorist attack even though additional security measures were  already in place. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, a majority of chief ministers and top officials of the Home Ministry and intelligence agencies attended the day-long meet.

Speaking about the terror threats from across the border, he said the area of operation of terrorists “extends far beyond the confines of Jammu & Kashmir and covers all parts of our country”. To deal with the terrorist challenge, the country needs to be prepared for encountering more sophisticated technologies and enhanced capabilities, Singh said. “We also need to guard our sea frontier as vigilantly as our land border”, he said.

Coordinated response

Stressing that internal security required a coordinated response by the Centre and the States acting in concert, the prime minister cautioned that  “a piecemeal approach will simply not work given the nature of challenges we face.”

“Not only do we need more information sharing, we also need synchronized action. Let me assure all the states that the Centre will not be found wanting in this regard”, he said.

While  recognising the constraints of resources faced by the states, the prime minister said  it was important “to  bear the burden of our shared sense of responsibility. It must also be recognised that there are limits to what the Central government can provide”.
Pointing to the formation of the National Investigating Agency (NIA), he asked the chief ministers to extend all possible cooperation to the  agency to make it a truly effective instrument in the fight against terrorism. He also referred to Quick Response Teams and Special Intervention Units that are being set up at the state level to enhance the speed of response to terror attacks.

The prime minister said that efforts were being made to improve intelligence gathering and dissemination, both at the Central and state levels. A well-calibrated Coastal Security Scheme is being put in place, he added. The prime minister, however, maintained that much more needed to be done to face the challenges posed by “asymmetric warfare and terrorism as also the left wing extremism”. He said that it could only be met through new ideas and more resolute actions and determination. “We need to be ahead of the curve if we are to succeed as we must,” Singh said.

Speaking on the communal situation, the prime minister specifically referred to Karnataka and Maharashtra which, saying they “need to exercise greater vigil to maintain communal peace” .

“Some states like Maharashtra and Karnataka need to exercise greater vigil to maintain communal peace. Karnataka, in particular, has witnessed a number of communal incidents during this year. What is more worrisome is that the incidents were not limited to one or two districts”, he said.

DH News Service