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TERROR BYTES
TERROR FROM PAK: Questions Islamabad’s sincerity in dealing with terror groups working against
India.
KASHMIR CRISIS: Says figures of violence had been steadily declining and were today at an all-time
low.
MAOIST VIOLENCE: Warns there are indications of yet more offensive action by Naxal
groups.
LEFT WING EXTREMISM: Calls for a balanced and nuanced strategy to deal with the menace. |
New Delhi, August 17
With Islamabad turning a blind eye to New Delhi’s concerns over cross-border terrorism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today warned the chief ministers of the possibility of Pakistan-based militant groups carrying out fresh terrorist attacks in India.
Manmohan Singh may have chosen not to make any reference to Pakistan in his Independence Day speech barely two days ago, but he was quite forthright in indirectly slamming the Pakistan government this morning for its failure to rein in terrorist elements operating on its soil while addressing the chief ministers’ conference on internal security here.
“Coming to specific challenges, cross-border terrorism remains a most pervasive threat. There is credible information of ongoing plans of terrorist groups in Pakistan to carry out fresh attacks,” he said, questioning Islamabad’s sincerity in dealing with terror groups working against India. The PM's speech today is also being seen by many as an attempt to put a lid on the controversy arising from the Indo-Pak joint statement given at Sharm-el-Sheikh, which had led to an uproar back home in India.
Manmohan Singh stated that the area of operation of these terrorists today extended far beyond the confines of Jammu and Kashmir and covered all parts of India. Observing that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir had, during the past few years, seen substantial improvement, he said figures of violence had been steadily declining and were today at an all-time low.
“But there are some disturbing trends on the horizon. The levels of infiltration, which had come down very substantially, have seen a surge this year, alongside an increase in attempts at infiltration. The infiltrators appear more battle-hardened, better equipped, and in possession of sophisticated communications,” he said in a clear message to the state government to pull up its socks.
He also drew attention to signs of a revival of over-ground militant activities in the troubled state. “Attempts are being made to link isolated and unconnected incidents -- such as those which occurred in Shopian, Sopore, Baramulla -- to create an impression of a ground swell of anti-national feeling. All this shows that efforts to disturb the current status quo have not been given up." He, however, was happy that the annual Amarnath yatra passed of peacefully, describing it as a tribute to the secular character of the people of the state.
On Maoist violence, Manmohan Singh maintained that there were indications of “yet more offensive action” by these groups. “There have been heavy casualties inflicted recently on security forces by Naxalite groups. There are also indications of yet more offensive action by these groups,” he warned.
“The problem of left wing extremism is indeed a complex one. There is a need for a balanced and nuanced strategy to deal with it. On the one hand the state should discharge its responsibilities and obligations and re-establish the rule of law in areas dominated by the Naxalites."
Calling for a coordinated response by both the central government and the states, the Prime Minister said more needed to be done to shore up intelligence systems and speed up the response to terrorist attacks.
On the communal situation, he said no serious communal incident had occurred during the past five years. But some states like Maharashtra and Karnataka ought to exercise greater vigil to mo maintain communal
peace.
