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Centre cognisant of ISI threat: Advani

The government proposes to amend the explosives law, making the possession of RDX and other explosive materials an extremely serious offence, Union Home Minister L K Advani informed the Rajya Sabha today. Replying to O P Kohli and others, the home minister, said the government was compiling information on the activities of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency of Pakistan in India and would present it in the form of a white paper to Parliament.

Sharing the concerns expressed by V N Gadgil and other senior members about ISI activities in the country, Advani said no state was insulated from the activities of this organisation and various government agencies had recovered 4,000 kilograms of RDX in various operations in the country during the past two years. He said the importance of the recovery should be appreciated because the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Bombay was carried out with only 3.5 kilograms of this deadly material.

He said there was definitely a link between various terrorist organisations like the United Liberation Front of Assam and the ISI and the government was keeping a close vigil on their activities in the northeastern region. He said the government strongly condemned the attempt to assassinate Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir and said that despite the denial of involvement by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isaac-Muivah) in the incident, the government was pursuing the matter. It was a serious violation of the agreement the militant group had entered into with the government, he said.

Advani conceded that the number of madrassas -- Muslim religious training schools -- had increased on the Indo-Nepal border during the past few years and said there was certainly a link between the ISI and these madrassas. The ISI wanted to exploit the porous nature of the 1,750 kilometres-long Indo-Nepal border. Both countries, however, were now cooperating with each other through exchange of information and intelligence on the activities of these organisations.

When Gadgil expressed disappointment about the mild statement coming from a man projected as the ''second Sardar Patel,'' Advani said the nation required ''strong action'' and not words. He said measures had been taken to ensure joint cooperation between India and the authorities of Nepal and Bangladesh at various levels. On the Indo-Bangladesh border, a series of measures had been taken internally to enhance security. These included raising of additional battalions of the Border Security Force and reduction of gaps between border outposts, intensification of patrolling on land and riverine areas and an accelerated programme of construction of border roads and fencing.

UNI

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