Two days after he said that terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) was not big challenge to India, Home Minister Rajnath Singh told a Russian delegation that “the threat of IS was a matter of serious concern.”
A statement issued by the Home Ministry said, “Union Home Minister said that the threat of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is a matter of serious concern and there is need for close cooperation and exchange of information between the two countries and monitoring the activity of ISIL particularly in the field of media to counter the extensive media propaganda by the ISIL and the Cyber Space to combat close Jihadi chat and online recruitment.”
Mr. Singh also asked Russia to tell Pakistan to rein in terrorist groups operating from its soil and support New Delhi in its effort to isolate Islamabad in international forums on the issue of terror.
This was conveyed during a meeting between a Russian delegation headed by Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and an Indian team headed by Mr. Singh. Newly-appointed Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi was not present in the meeting as he was in Jaipur for “personal commitments.”
The Indian side told the visiting Russian delegation that terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, which have been targeting India, operate from Pakistan’s soil and Moscow should ask Islamabad during their bilateral meetings to dismantle all such groups, official sources said.
New-found tiesThe meeting comes in the backdrop of reports of enhanced diplomatic and military ties between Russia and Pakistan that include decision to hold joint military exercises by the two countries for the first time ever and Russia agreeing to sell military helicopters to Pakistan.
The Indian delegation also told the Russian side to help New Delhi isolate Islamabad in the United Nations and other international forums on the issue of terror.
