India can’t give up war on terror: PM

Admitting the need for strengthening intelligence-gathering, investigation and prosecution processes in the country, Manmohan Singh said India can’t give up its war against terror, writes Varghese K George.

Admitting the need for strengthening intelligence-gathering, investigation and prosecution processes in the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India can’t give up its war against terror.

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He was responding to Saturday’s Mehrauli blast in Delhi. On way to France from the US, the PM said: “Let me say that I have been out of the country and it was most unfortunate that this blast has taken place. My heart goes out to those who have lost their dear ones and those who have suffered injuries.”

“It is not possible for me from this distance to comment on who is responsible for this outrage, but all I can say is that this outrage once again demonstrates that we have to tighten our intelligence-gathering and strengthen our investigation processes, we have to strengthen our prosecution processes.”

“But we cannot give up our war against terror, our resoluteness which is necessary to deal with this menace," Singh said.

This is the second time in a month that the Prime Minister has talked about the need to strengthen intelligence. At a conference of governors in Delhi earlier this month, Singh conceded there were “vast gaps” in intelligence-gathering.

During his visit to the US, Singh had said he was yet to reach a conclusion on the need for a separate law to tackle terror. The proposal for a separate law, mooted by the Administrative Reforms Commission, was being looked into by a group of officials, he had said.

A senior government source said the US’s success in not allowing a single terror strike after 9/11 was based on “draconian provisions”, which might not be politically palatable at home.

National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Charles E. Allen, Under Secretary in US’s Homeland Security Department, held a marathon seven-and-a-half hour meeting on strengthening India’s security apparatus.

“Americans have achieved an impressive success in tacking terror. Though many of their measures cannot be implemented in India, there are several measures that we will soon be put in place,” a source familiar with the discussions said.