'Fight with terror far from over'

MHA says India is facing a low cost, proxy war situation

NEW DELHI: India has to ready itself to fight a prolonged "low-cost proxy war situation", according to the Union Ministry for Home Affairs (MHA). Detailing the threats and problems in its report on the security situation, the MHA said more resources need to be provided for internal security in the 11th Five Year Plan.

The MHA report said that the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan continues to be used by Pak-based and ISI-sponsored outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Al Badr.

The current strategy of attacks in the hinterland includes flow of finances to sustain network, target vital installations and infrastructure,  train local modules and provoke communal tensions.

An important aspect is the recruitment of Indian youth by LeT and HuJI for training in Pakistan or PoK and sending them into India for sabotage and subversive activities. Mentioning steps proposed to fight the situation, the MHA noted the critical need for well-coordinated and efficient intelligence machinery at the Centre and in states. The MHA also spoke of the need to improve the police-population ratio of 1:728. The UN norm, says security analyst Ajay Sahni, is 1:450.

The report noted that the terrorist violence in the North East had gone up this year. Incidents of naxal violence in the country also showed an increase.