New Delhi: Pakistan-based terror
organisations Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul
Mujahideen are planning to infiltrate terrorists into India to
"create mayhem", Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Sunday,
asserting that the country's security forces were, however,
prepared to meet any external threat.
He said Pakistan has no will to prosecute and punish
the perpetrators of last year's Mumbai attacks and voiced
concern over the spread of Taliban in that country,
apprehending that the danger could spread to the rest of South
Asia including India.
"We go by the information or intelligence that we are
able to gather. Our assessment of the inputs flowing into
India is that the LeT, the JeM and the Hizbul Mujahideen are
planning to infiltrate terrorists into India.
"Now obviously they are not trying to infiltrate
for tourism purposes. They are being infiltrated to India to
create mayhem here. Therefore, we say that the threat level
has not diminished. That is what the Prime Minister said
(in the Commanders Conference). There are many attempts which
have been foiled even before they could (materialise)," he
said in an interview.
Asked how well prepared the country was to meet terrorism
inspired from across the border, Chidambaram said, "We are
prepared to meet any external threat. As I said, we are
building capacity every day, every week, every month. But, in
today's world, being vigilant and alert is a 24/7 function."
So the danger remains and we are getting better prepared?
Chidambaram was asked.
He replied, "I cannot do anything to the source of the
threat that is emanating from another country. I can only make
my best effort to building capacity in this country to meet
any terror threat or terror attack, which is what we are
doing."
In reply to a query on the lack of seriousness on
Pakistan's part to bring to book the masterminds of the Mumbai
attack based in that country and what was the way out to
pressure Islamabad, he said there was no way out.
"It is quite clear that the Pakistan government has no
intention and certainly no will to prosecute and
punish Hafiz Sayeed (founder-chief of LeT) and a few others
who we know only by their code names or pseudonyms -- Major
General Saab, Kafa or Kaka, Salahuddin. We don't know who they
are but we know that they played an active part in the
training of the 10 terrorists who were despatched to India."
Chidambaram said the Pakistan government certainly has no
will to prosecute and punish them. Now, even the judge
named for the trial has let the cat out of the bag by saying
why would a judge quit unless he was under pressure from
"wrong quarters".
He was referring to the decision of a judge of a Lahore
court hearing the case against Hafiz Sayeed under terrorism
charges, who had a few days ago quit his post.
"I have always been very skeptical about the Pakistan
government's attitude to punishing the perpetrators of the
26/11 outrage. I remain skeptical. There is nothing more I can
do except when there is an opportunity to highlight it so that
the world takes notice of Pakistan's intransigence or
incapacity," the Home Minister said.
He gave this reply when he was asked about his open
expression of helplessness with Pakistan some time ago when he
had said that would be the last time he would be answering
questions from Pakistan on dossiers India had supplied
regarding the Mumbai attacks.
To a question on the spurt in terrorism within Pakistan,
at India's doorstep Lahore, Islamabad and other places and
whether it was a real danger to India, Chidambaram said, "I
feel very sad for Pakistan. I also feel deeply concerned for
the whole of South Asia. It appears that the Taliban or
whoever the groups are can strike at will anywhere in Pakistan
-- Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad.
"If this is not contained, the danger can spread to
the rest of South Asia. Obviously, India could at sometime in
the future become a target."
Bureau Report