Prime Minister Manmohan Singh turned the heat on Pakistan on Tuesday, calling it the main sponsor of terrorism against India andConference on internal security
emphasising the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba, and that the “sophistication and military precision” of the Mumbai attacks pointed to the involvement of its official agencies.
With his tough speak, the PM clearly buried his “Pakistan is a victim of terrorism” formulation framed in September 2006 as he focussed on underlining Islamabad’s use of “terrorism as an instrument of state policy” while pointing to terror sanctuaries flourishing across the western border.
This was the first time that the PM talked of the involvement of state actors — read ISI — from Pakistan in Mumbai attacks. The PM’s comments drew a reaction from Pakistan foreign secretary Salman Bashir who said that the linkage drawn between official agencies and Mumbai attacks would escalate tensions and eventually nudge the two countries towards war.
Addressing the foreign relations committee of Pakistan’s National Assembly, he warned that India would be committing its “biggest mistake” if it opted for military action.
The PM took a wide-ranging view of the terrorist threat facing India drawing the attention of chief ministers he was addressing to terrorists enlarging their canvas by attacking “economic, infrastructure and iconic” targets. While prioritising security threats, he placed Pak-based jihadi terror above other violent movements like Left wing extremism which he had pre-9/11 called the single biggest security threat.
He sketched out the arc of instability around India saying, “We are aware of the different concentric circles of terrorism which impact our security… There are other concentric circles of terrorism that are often a combination of external forces backed by internal elements.” He said Pakistan-based groups were infiltrating terrorists from Nepal and Bangladesh while the sea route was a new threat.
The PM did not mince words in saying that the terror strike on Mumbai was the handiwork of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. He said investigations, even though by agencies of some foreign nations, had uncovered evidence to indicate the support of “some official agencies in Pakistan”.
The pattern of terror incidents suggested an increasingly pan-Indian and trans-national aspect to the attacks on India. Turning to India’s intelligence set-up, the PM said there was a need “to review the effectiveness of collection of technical signalling and human intelligence. The training and equipment provided to our security forces also requires careful review” and stressed the need for closer Centre-state collaboration.
Pointing to countries like Pakistan playing host to anti-India groups, the PM said after fencing the LoC, the border with Bangladesh was also being protected in a similar fashion. Keeping in view the effort of terror groups to convey the impression that India was “unsafe”, he said, “We need to ensure that another major terrorist attack does not take place on our soil.