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PM warns of more terrorist attacks

	September 11, 2006

Ironically, the Malegaon blasts came just three days after the Prime Minister cautioned the country about the possibility of more fidayeen (suicide) attacks and terror strikes on economic and religious targets. Addressing the Chief Ministers’ Conference on Internal Security in New Delhi on September 5, Dr. Manmohan Singh asked them to personally monitor steps to improve intelligence gathering at the grassroots level and toning up of the law and order administration in their respective states.



The Prime Minister specially asked Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir and of the north-eastern states to be sensitive to the emerging scenario.



Referring to intelligence inputs, the Prime Minister said, “Intelligence agencies warn of a further intensification of violent activities with the possibility of fidayeen attacks, use of suicide bombers, attacks on economic and religious targets, targeting of vital installations including nuclear establishments.” He said there are also reports that terrorist modules existed in some urban areas which highlights the seriousness of the threat.



Referring to the Muslim community’s sense of insecurity after terror attacks in the country, the Prime Minister decried the perception of radicalisation of the entire Muslim community. He emphasised the need for quick implementation of a policy which ensures that acts of individual terrorists do not constitute the basis for maligning an entire category of people.



The thrust of the Prime Minister’s message to the states, including those ruled by the BJP, was that the best way to fight terrorism - besides the police response - was by not creating an environment where terror elements would have nurseries of support.



“It is unfortunate that terrorism has resulted in certain sections of our population being targeted, with the result that a wrong impression has been created of the radicalization of the entire Muslim community,” Singh said.



“You must remove any feelings of persecution and alienation from the minds of the minorities.



Highlighting the threats to internal security from Naxalism, Dr Manmohan Singh proposed the setting up of an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), headed by the Home Minister and select Chief Ministers to monitor the rapid spread of the Maoist movement.



Lamenting that not enough was being done to fill up vacancies in the police force, Dr Manmohan Singh, in a veiled attack on certain states, pointed out the need for improving the quality of state Special Branches and toning up of the law and order administration.



“The police is the first responder in Naxal-related situations, and is a very important part of this entire effort. Therefore, filling up vacancies in state police forces and sensitising the police is a critical requirement while fighting Naxal violence,” he said.



Though the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir had shown signs of improvement in the past two years, the Prime Minister called for constant vigil in view of continuing efforts by anti-India and anti-national elements to whip-up emotions and transform these into a violent movement.



On the situation in the North-East, the Prime Minister pointed out the necessity of being sensitive to the nuances of each situation, and the encyclopedic character of regional and tribal demands which, if not anticipated and dealt with in time, could lead to full-fledged insurgency.



“States like Manipur and Nagaland in the North-East appear specially vulnerable and demand personal attention. There is little scope for personal predilections that override national considerations and requirements,” he said.



Speaking at the conference, Home Minister Shivraj Patil asked the states to allocate more funds for strengthening intelligence. In its proposed policy on internal security, the Union Home Ministry suggested that accountability be fixed both at the Centre and state levels on intelligence officials.



Often it is seen that intelligence inputs sent by the Centre are not followed up properly by the state police. This has to be checked for which there is need to fix responsibility, a Ministry official said. Patil said there was consensus at the meeting to initiate an exercise for capacity building both by the Central paramilitary forces and state police, so that police-population ratio could be reduced.



Some Chief Ministers, sources said, were of the view that the Army should have a greater role in internal security. Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh suggested a “surgical strike” against militants with the help of the IAF. The Chief Ministers of the 13 Naxal-affected states were of the view that the Army should be roped in for specific operations against Naxals.



The sharp increase in infiltration in J & K was also discussed with J & K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad asking the Centre to write to countries and Indian missions to ensure his people are not harassed abroad.





Terror spreading to new areas



The agenda paper for the Conference presented a grim picture by admitting that cross-border terrorism has spread to the hinterland and infiltration has gone up in comparison to the same period last year. The paper pointed to the rise in grenade attacks in Kashmir, increase in the number of casualties in Naxalite violence and no respite in insurgency in the North East.



Stating that cross-border terrorism has spread to the hinterland, the Government admitted that Pakistan continues to aid and abet terrorism and terrorist groups, particularly Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed who are out to target India with the help of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).



Cross-border infiltration nearly trebled from 170 (January-July, 2005) to 476 (January-July 2006), clearly indicating that neither has the Government been successful in containing the menace nor has Pakistan tried to dismantle the terror infrastructure on its territories.





Biggest-ever arms haul : Police seize 875 rockets



In perhaps the biggest ever arms haul from terrorists, Andhra Pradesh police seized 875 rockets and 30 launchers said to be meant for Maoists from the godowns of a transport company in the districts of Mahbubnagar and Prakasam on Friday, Sept. 8. Director General of Police Swaranjit Sen said in Hyderabad that with these rockets, the Maoists could target and destroy helicopters and attack police parties and police stations from a distance of 600 metres.



Although indigenous, the police suspect the weaponry could have come from Tamil Nadu. In a late night development, it was found that at least one consignment of four gunny bags containing rockets and launchers was delivered from a godown in Kurnool and was suspected to be in Maoist hands.



In Mahbubnagar district, police recovered 600 rockets and 15 launchers from a godown at Achampeta. In the second haul, Prakasam district police seized another 275 rockets and 15 launchers from a godown at Giddaluru town.



The Andhra Pradesh seizures make the authorities believe that the rebels could be planning a wave of simultaneous attacks on police stations and other high-security targets to keep up the sagging morale of the Naxalite cadres in the backdrop of serious reversals the revolutionary movement suffered in recent times.



With the Maoists scaling down their level of movement and ‘tactically’ confining the cadres to jungles in Andhra Pradesh, the recent technological advances have come as a morale-booster.

The Maoists were trying for the last four years to develop and improve the rocket launcher technology on their own. It was in the Malkangiri forests of Orissa in 2002 that the police found that the Maoists had in their possession the designs of rocket launchers.



In a related move, sources and channels of funding to terrorism have been put under a scanner. Authorities concerned have been asked to keep a tab on money transfers that may be used to route the money to fund the “terror-factory” of the dreaded Al-Qaida and other terrorist organisations operating in South-East Asia.



A secret list of people and individuals who have been placed on the “watch list” was being scrutinized by intelligence agencies as several of the names may be linked to funding of terrorist organisations and incidents in India.



The Reserve Bank of India has issued detailed instructions to banks on how to curb the money transfer and has also provided an updated list.



Even though the RBI “watch-list” has named underworld don Dawood Ibrahim as an associate of Al-Qaida, it largely deals with remnants of the erstwhile Taliban regime in Afghanistan led by Osama bin Laden that was toppled following the invasion by US-led allied forces. The list also has the names of Pakistan-based trusts and NGOs. The Jaish-e-Mohammed, the organisation of Maulana Masood Azhar, one of the militants who was released from captivity in India in lieu of safe passage for passengers on board the Indian Airlines flight to Kandahar, is also listed. The others from Pakistan include The Aid Organisation of the Ulema, Pakistan, The Al-Rashid Trust, The Al-Akhtar Trust International and the Al-Haramain Foundation. The last one has branches in African and European countries.