The Hindu : Internal security threatened by outside forces: report

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003

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Internal security threatened by outside forces: report

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 28. The annual report of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for the year 2002-2003 published today makes a grim reading. The country, it says, is beset with internal security problems generated from outside. The chief areas of concern remain militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and in the northeast as well as violence by far left groups in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

With reference to militancy in Kashmir, the report says that trends during the year pointed to the "incremental use of suicide bombers.'' Interestingly, the Home Secretary, in his presentation to the Home Affairs Select committee, had said that suicide attacks had more than halved from 28 in 2001 to 10 in 2002.

The report also emphasises the changing composition of militants in Kashmir. It states that 60 to 70 percent of militants operating in the State are from outside, "under the direct control of Pak ISI,'' with local people "playing the role of porters and guides.''

Insurgency in the northeast continues "consistently fuelled from trans-border basis across the long porous international border.'' The "propaganda of militants has been largely drawing its sustenance from the influx of illegal immigrants mainly from Bangladesh.''

There are plans by "terrorists based in foreign countries (the U.S. and Canada) to revive terrorism in Punjab.'' It says that Islamabad was "making efforts to revive Sikh militancy in Punjab in a big way and the ISI has assured its commitment to the revival of Khalistan movement.''

Of the communal situation, the report says that it remained "by and large peaceful barring some sporadic incidents and the Godhra train carnage.'' It then says that "largescale communal violence took place in Gujarat as a fallout of the carnage at Godhra in which 59 persons were burnt alive.''

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