Acknowledging the role of foreign governments pursuing asymmetric warfare against India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday asserted that both state and non-state actors are engaged in terror activities against the country, against whom security forces needed to be prepared to meet the challenges.
Singh, who made the remarks while addressing top commanders of the three services here, also pointed out that the recent attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul was ?yet another grim reminder of the forces? that India is pitted against. ?There are both state and non-state actors involved in the business of terrorism. India is a democracy and an open society and is, therefore, sometimes highly vulnerable,? he told the service chiefs.
Referring to the alarming situation in Pakistan especially where attacks by fundamentalist outfits have stepped up, Prime Minister Singh said that the situation in India?s immediate neighbourhood had worsened but stopped short of naming Pakistan. He added that there are regular intelligence reports of imminent attacks on the country even though there has not been any major terrorist assault after the Mumbai attack last year. He said it was a matter of deep concern and there is no room for complacency. He said the Mumbai attacks had confirmed India?s worst fears about the ?lethal dimensions of terrorism and non-traditional threats to our security?.
The Prime Minister, however, indicated sufficiently that war was not a readily available option but that India would have to improve its defensive mechanisms against all forms of terrorism, asymmetric warfare and aggravated militancy. ?We need to be prepared to face onslaughts of this kind, but we should avoid knee jerk reactions? he said.
Singh said among moves to tackle terror threats, the government had taken several steps to strengthen intelligence and security machinery and coordination between the Centre and the states.
The Prime Minister told the service commanders that they should be fully equipped to deal with all threat scenarios while underlying that their role in combatting unconventional threats would be amplified. ?Our troops should be trained to fight anywhere, anytime and under any conditions. Their ability to deal with non-traditional threats must receive greater attention? he said.
He said the government was committed to modernisation of the armed forces to ensure their military superiority and technological edge. He, however, said that there was still scope for strengthening areas of congruence between the services in operational, training and administrative matters.
