11 Dec : In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks, winding up the debate in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that Pakistan has reportedly taken some steps against terrorists, but it needs to do much more.
The Prime Minister said India has so far exercised restraint, but cannot be satisfied with mere assurances on terror emanating from Pakistan.Singh said, the infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan should be dismantled.
He said that the government is committed to police modernisation and further reiterated that as part of measures to strengthen maritime security, Coast Guard will henceforth be the sole agency responsible for coastal protection and the Navy that will provide back-up.
Singh said, we have identified gaps in the security system, and there is need to equip the security personnel to meet the unprecedented threat to the unity and integrity of the country.
"I apologise to the people of the country that the dastardly act in Mumbai could not be prevented", Singh said."As part of measures to strengthen maritime security, Coast Guard will henceforth be the sole agency responsible for coastal protection, Navy will provide back-up", said Singh.
Sleuths, telecos must cooperate to fight terror: PM
Manmohan Singh on Thursday said an effective cooperation was needed between security agencies and the telecom industry to combat such incidents.
"It is very important that there should be effective cooperation and coordination between the agencies whose responsibility is to safeguard the security of the country and producers, all actors in the industry (of technology)", Singh said while inaugurating the India Telecom 2008 conference.
Singh said this while endorsing FICCI president Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s suggestion that there was a need for very serious upgrade in the government’s thinking on the level of cooperation that is currently engaging with the telecom industry to counter terrorism.
The telecom industry currently provides real-time support through legal intercepts and monitoring mechanism.The Prime Minister said though modern technology is a powerful tool, it still can be a threat if it falls in the hands of anti-social elements and terrorists.Thus there is a need for an effective coordination between the security agencies and the industry.
Terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks had managed to secure SIM cards and maintain a communication network out of the country – a matter of concern for security agencies which, as a matter of fact, have the power and ability to intercept the data and calls.
Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura later said DoT has a security wing specially to have useful coordination between intelligence agencies, industry and the licensor (DoT) itself.
Singh said impartial regulation should administer all infrastructure sectors (like telecom) which have been thrown open for increased competition, both to the domestic as well as international investors.
Singh called for more effective, objective and impartial regulation, especially in the infrastructure sectors like telecom which have been thrown open to increased competition both by the domestic and global investors.
Lauding the role of technology in the economic progress, he said it is a powerful force in any process of growth and development.India has no option but to operate on the frontiers of modern knowledge and imbibe the latest technology, he said.PM apologises over Mumbai attacks, vows to gear up system
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday apologised to the country for the government’s inability to prevent the Mumbai attacks and vowed to gear up the security apparatus to prevent recurrence of such incidents besides building pressure on Pakistan to end the scourge.
Making an intervention during the debate on the Mumbai attacks in Lok Sabha, Singh noted the action by Pakistan against Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed but asserted that Islamabad needed to do "much more" to take things to logical conclusion and convince the world about its actions.
Outlining steps to gear up the country’s security system to meet the "unprecedented threat", he said the government has decided to set up a National Investigation Agency, decentralise NSG, form more commando units, strengthen coastal security by making the Coast Guard the sole force responsible for it and step up air surveillance.
"I apologise to the people of the country that this dastardly act could not be prevented," he said referring to the Mumbai strikes and acknowledged that acts of terrorism have witnessed an increase resulting in death of hundreds of citizens.
Observing that the "epicentre of terrorism" is located in Pakistan, he underlined that the terror infrastructure in the neighbouring country must be dismantled and India cannot be "satisfied with mere assurances."
Singh said India has so far exercised "utmost restraint" but it should "not be misconstrued as a sign of our weakness".