Terrorists planning fresh attacks: PM

Singh?s sharp assertion, which implies that Pakistan is yet to act against the terror groups, effectively puts a questionmark on the composite dialogue process between the two countries. He had spelt out this line in Parliament in the aftermath of the controversy over Sharm el- Sheikh joint statement that was interpreted to have delinked terrorism and the dialogue process.

?There is credible information of ongoing plans of terrorist groups in Pakistan to carry out fresh attacks,? Singh said at the conference organised by the union home ministry. He also contended that terrorists had further extended their area of operation beyond J&K to other parts of the country.

In his address, the Prime Minister also noted that there were signs of revival of over-ground militant activities in J&K, pointing out that attempts were being made to ?link isolated and unconnected incidents like the one in Shopian, Sopore and Baramulla to create an impression of a groundswell of anti-India feeling. ?All this shows that efforts to disturb the current status quo have not been given up,? he said. While asserting that infiltration levels had been low over the last few years, he however said that some ?disturbing trends? were now being seen. ?Levels of infiltration which had come down very substantially have seen a surge this year, alongside an increase in infiltration attempts. The infiltrators appear more battle-hardened, better equipped, and in possession of sophisticated communication equipment,? he said.

The Prime Minister said that additional measures had been put in place after the Mumbai terror attack last year, but still cross-border terrorism remained a most pervasive threat and contended that there was a need for continued vigilance. ?We obviously need to do much more and we shall,? he said as he pointed out that two Regional Centres of the NSG were to be established shortly at Hyderabad and Kolkata, a National Investigative Agency was already in place, Quick Response Teams and Special Intervention Units were being set up at the state levels and a well-calibrated Coastal Security Scheme was in the works as a consequence of the Mumbai attacks. ?The challenges posed by asymmetric warfare and terrorism as also left wing extremism can only be met through new ideas and more resolute actions. We need to be ahead of the curve if we are to succeed,? he told the chief ministers.

Singh advocated a balanced approach to combatting Naxalism, asserting that it was a complex problem. ?There is a need for a balanced and nuanced strategy to deal with it. On the one hand the State should discharge its responsibilities and obligations and re-establish the Rule of Law in areas dominated by the Naxalites. At the same time we should work towards removing the causes which lead to alienation of people and problems like Naxalism,? he said. The Prime Minister singled out BJP led state of Karnataka on the issue of communal incidents. ?Karnataka, in particular, has witnessed a number of communal incidents this year. What is more worrisome is that the incidents were not limited to one of two districts,? he said.