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The Home Minister, Shri Shivraj Patil has called for long-term, sustained and co-ordinated efforts on the part of Governments and the civil society to fight terrorism. Delivering the 17th Centenary Endowment Lecture of the Intelligence Bureau here today, he also called for proper training of State forces to counter terrorist threats while being fully sensitive to human rights issues. The topic of the lecture was “New Dimensions of Terrorism”. Shri Patil said that exercises should be conducted to identify possible areas of threat, methods likely to be employed by terrorists and measures required to be taken. Coordination among State organisations at international and national levels has to be made more effective through real time exchange of information, sharing of training facilities and equipment, etc. The channels of flow of funds to terrorists have to be studied and fund flow checked. Shri Patil said that by stopping the flow of funds and providing alternative employment avenues to the youth, the menace of terrorist organisations can be brought down significantly.
The Home Minister asserted that India has a strong legal regime to deal with all aspects of terrorism. At the same time, the country is particular that its laws should have provisions consistent with the international law and the International Covenants on Human Rights and civil and political rights. Accordingly, the Government has repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), 2002 and incorporated in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, certain provisions considered necessary to deal with various facets of terrorism. The Home Minister said that the country has done everything possible for protection of human rights. At the same time, the first and foremost duty of any Government is to maintain order in the society. It is a prerequisite for the development and protection of human rights. The Government is also responsible for the protection of human rights of innocent citizens in whose defence security personnel have to work. Shri Patil said that there is a need to be careful about the disinformation campaign orchestrated by terrorists and their supporters to demoralize security personnel. A disinformation campaign by itself can be an instrument of terror.
The Home Minister cautioned against the possible use of biological and chemical weapons by terrorists in future. He said that advanced technologies falling in wrong hands may lead to spread of terrorism to oceans and the space also. The States world over have not only to keep pace with the methods adopted by terrorists, but also have to be ahead of them if security and safety of the society is to be ensured.
The IB Centenary Endowment Lecture series was instituted in 1988 when the Intelligence Bureau completed 100 years of its existence. Set up originally by an order issued from London on December 22, 1887 by the then Secretary of State for India as a Central Special Branch, the Intelligence Bureau gradually evolved, over the years, into a specialized organisation for providing information to the Government of India on matters of vital concern to national security.
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