Terror threat spreading beyond Kashmir: Singh

Yawn....
Manmohan Singh sings his boring song again and again.

Terror threat spreading beyond Kashmir: Singh

NEW DELHI: Expressing that the terror threat has permeated beyond held Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday asked the security forces not to be complacent and adapt to “new requirements”.

“Our government is determined to fight and root out terrorism and its ideologies that justify and seek to sustain it,” Singh said in his address to the country’s top police brass, who gathered for a three-day conference of directors-general and inspectors-general.

The prime minister’s remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil spoke of terror threats to country’s vital installations. Asking the security forces to counter the challenge of terrorism “comprehensively”, Singh said, “No religion sanctions the killing of innocent citizens. We need a firm response from our security forces. We also need a resolute response from civil society and all our political parties.”

He said terror in the country was no longer centered on the state of Kashmir. “Attempts to take this threat to other parts of the country to create fear in the minds of our people are in evidence.

“By and large these attempts have remained unsuccessful...but there is no scope for complacency. Our security apparatus must be alert and resilient enough to meet the grave threats posed by terrorism to our polity and society.” he said. About northeast, he said that “while we are committed to the process of peaceful dialogue to resolve overwhelming problems, the government will not countenance the deliberate use of violence against innocent citizens”.

Referring to the Naxalite problem, Singh highlighted the need for faster development of Naxal-affected areas, and for a responsive, transparent and sensitive administrative machinery. “We need a greater focus on employment generation, land reforms, redistribution of land, better education and health facilities, backed up by firm police action wherever needed,” he said.

Singh also stressed the need for a better intelligence gathering mechanism. “We need to improve our capabilities both in respect of human intelligence and technical facilities as an aid to intelligence gathering.”