Sangma blames Centre for ISI threat

Concerned over the growing presence of fundamentalist elements in Bangladesh and their intent to sneak into the Northeast, NCP leader P.A.Sangma has blamed the Centre for 'not doing enough' to counter the threat.

Concerned over the growing presence of fundamentalist elements in neighbouring Bangladesh and their intent to sneak into the Northeast, NCP leader P.A.Sangma has blamed the Centre for 'not doing enough' to counter the threat.

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"We are aware of the growing activities of the ISI and jehadi elements in Bangladesh. But the Centre has not done enough to counter the threat," Sangma told a local news channel on Tuesday.

"Terrorists from Pakistan are also camping in the neighbouring country and the government is ill-equipped to counter it," he alleged.

Contending that the border fencing is not a reliable tool to check influx, the former Lok Sabha speaker favoured a high-level research into the subject.

"We have not taken border management seriously till date. We should study how the infiltrators sneak in, how they plan, how they execute and also identify the vulnerable points along the border," he said.

Sangma, who is the Meghalaya planning board chairman, also claimed that it was due to his insistence that the Centre has agreed to set up a border management institute for the region in the state.

The institute would undertake research and training on border management. "The institute will make indepth study on the vexed trans-border problems like infiltration and border security with an objective of giving a roadmap as to how to control them," he added.