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: Bureau (IB), is inadequately staffed and has for long been engaged in gaining political intelligence for the government of the day. The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) has virtually no capability for covert operations in Pakistan as its capabilities were ordered to be wound down by the Prime Minister in 1997. The state governments have simply not invested sufficient time, effort and funds for intelligence acquisition. The fact that various inputs about a terrorist attack form the sea were available with different agencies proves that India lacks a coherent assessment system for the collation, analysis, synthesis and effective dissemination of intelligence. Hopefully, the National Investigative Agency now proposed to be established by the government will be able to coordinate the entire intelligence gathering process and arrive at accurate deductions for action by concerned agencies.

The success of counter-terrorism operations depends to a considerable extent on a speedy response with operations being executed by the right force that is trained, armed and equipped suitably for the job at hand. As the National Security Guard (NSG) is India’s primary strike force for counter-terrorist operations, it must be given the wherewithal to respond swiftly to terrorist attacks to minimise casualties and deny the perpetrators the ability to consolidate. The NSG’s response time of nine hours to reach Mumbai gave the terrorists sufficient time to kill many hostages, plant bombs and enhance their defences before the commandos reached the buildings under siege. The government’s recent decision to locate NSG echelons in the cities that have been targeted frequently will enable the force to respond in a timelier manner. The NSG must also be equipped with state-of-the-art technology & equipment to enable the commandos to enhance their operational performance and minimise their own casualties.