Pak terror groups behind Mumbai train blasts: NSA

Narayanan says the investigations clearly establish involvement of Pak-based terrorists, reports HS Bartwal.

National Security Advisor MK Narayanan stated on Wednesday that the investigations into the blasts in Mumbai local trains were over and they had clearly established the involvement of Pakistan-based terrorist groups.

Narayanan, who had earlier sparked off a controversy by stating that the probe had only indicated the complicity of terrorists from the neighbouring nation but not conclusively established the fact, was quite unequivocal on the issue this time while addressing top railway security officials from India and abroad here.

“The investigation into this incident is complete and the involvement of nine Pakistan-based jehadi terrorists, of whom one died, has been confirmed,” Narayanan said at an international seminar on ‘Growing challenges of terrorism with special reference to Railways’.

According to the NSA, over 20 Indians who had collaborated with the Pakistani terrorists had been arrested and charge-sheeted though the eight Pakistani nationals involved had managed to flee to their country. Pointing out that the threat to the railways from terrorists was very potent and real, Narayanan observed that there were several difficulties in providing foolproof security to any large mass transportation system.

Expressing concern over the alarming proportions that terrorism had assumed the worldover, the NSA cited instances of major attacks like those on the Tokyo subway in 1995, Madrid train network in 2004 and London underground blasts in 2005.

He informed the gathering that India was in the process of  strengthening political and security linkages with other nations in the region to battle “faith-based” terrorism with “external linkages” that had become one of the major challenges globally.

Email Hemendra Singh Bartwal: hsbartwal@hindustantimes.com