Expressing concern over an increase in infiltration attempts, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the Centre and the states should launch coordinated efforts to tackle internal security threats.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday that hostile groups and elements were operating “from across the border to perpetrate terrorist acts in our country, and Jammu and Kashmir bears the brunt of the acts of these groups.”
There was a marked decline in the number of terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir from 2008 to 2009, he said, but expressed concern at the increase in the number of infiltration bids.
Among the other major threats to the country’s security were insurgency and violence in the north-east and left-wing extremism, he said, inaugurating the Chief Ministers’ conference on internal security.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram described the Pakistan-based terror groups as “dark forces,” which were “implacably” opposed to India. They would be defeated whenever confronted, he said.
In his opening statement, he said such militant groups as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Hizbul Mujahideen staged a meeting at Muzaffarabad in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Thursday, and it was clear that there groups were “implacably” opposed to India. “Their weapons are mayhem and violence, and their goal is forcible annexation of Kashmir. Let me make it clear that these dark forces will not succeed in their designs,” Mr. Chidambaram said.
The observations of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister come at a time when India has offered to resume talks with Pakistan. The talks have remained suspended after the Mumbai terror attacks.
Cautioning against the forces that were trying to divide society on communal and regional lines, Dr. Singh said: “Each one of these threats requires a strong effort, determination, hard work and continuous vigilance to tackle. These threats to our society, to our polity and our country constitute a challenge that we must and we shall meet effectively at all costs.”
`Specialised commando forces in States'
Terming internal security a “critical issue” which affects the “pace of our growth and development,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stressed the need for a coordinated response from not only the affected States but also other States and the Centre.
Dr. Singh urged the States to create special intervention units to enhance the speed and decisiveness of the Quick Response Teams and develop specialised commando forces that could act as a deterrent against terror. He was speaking at the Chief Ministers’ conference on internal security here on Sunday.
Left-wing extremism
Referring to Left-wing extremists continuing to target vital installations and killing innocent civilians in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal, Dr. Singh said the Centre and the States would have to find ways and means of jointly fighting this menace. “Our response to Left-wing extremism must be calibrated to avoid alienating our people, especially those in tribal areas. It must also go hand in hand with social and economic development of the areas affected by the extremism, bringing them into the mainstream of national progress.”
Tribal communities should get the full benefit of development schemes and programmes. This would be possible if only service delivery in tribal areas was improved.
The Prime Minister said fake Indian currency was being printed outside and smuggled into India. This had serious implications for the economy, he said, urging the States to designate a nodal agency to investigate cases of seizure. He urged the Chief Ministers to expeditiously fill police vacancies and increase the budgetary allocation for police infrastructure and training.
