Yet the Mumbai attack has also focused Indians on the failures of its own government. It was the sixth major terrorist attack since May. For a nation eager to be seen as one of the world's next superpowers, it marks a test of leadership – at home and in the region.
Between 2004 and 2007, only Iraq saw more terrorism-related deaths than India, according to the US National Counterterrorism Center in Washington.
- Nationalist Congress Party chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has accepted that security establishments in the country were totally unprepared to handle an attack like the one in Mumbai. -
Comments : Very funny - Who asked you to remain unprepared for this ?
- According to Industry sources, over 40 per cent of the holidaymakers have cancelled their bookings. People are also planning to fly less. Bookings to holiday destinations like Goa are down by over 60 per cent. Source: IBNLive
- "I feel totally insecure," said Rajendra Shah, 55, an insurance agent. "I'm very scared, but what can you do? I must go to work." (MSNBC)
- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised to strengthen maritime and air security and look into creating a new federal investigative agency.
Congress, before elections said that it will scrap POTA; still many of us voted it and brought them (UPA) to power. Are those people (voters) not responsible for bringing a party, whose manifesto was weak on 'National Security'. At least those who voted Congress, knowing its policy have no right to criticize congress & they are equally responsible as Manmohan Singh/Sonia Gandhi.
Govt knew about the threat, did nothing: Arun Shourie
- November 2006: Our coastal areas are coming under increased threat from terrorist groups, which have decided to use the sea route to infiltrate into India. They also plan to induct arms and ammunition through the sea routes" — that is Shivraj Patil addressing the directors general and inspectors general of police in November 2006.
"We understand they (the terrorists) have been collecting information regarding location of various refineries on or near the Indian coastline... Some Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives are also being trained specifically for sabotage of Oil installations. There are plans to occupy some uninhabited islands off the country's coastline to use them as bases for launching operations on the Indian coast..."
- The minister of defence has been no less alert. On March 9 2007, he was asked in the Lok Sabha, whether "the intelligence agencies have warned about the possibility of terrorists trying to infiltrate through the sea route or trying to target our offshore installations?" He answered, "Yes, sir. There are reports about terrorists of various tanzeems being imparted training and likelihood of their infiltration through sea routes..." He was asked whether "maritime terrorism, gun-running, drug-trafficking and piracy are major threats that India is facing from the sea borders of the country?" His answer? "Yes, sir."
- On May 9 2007, the home minister was asked in the Rajya Sabha, whether "it is a fact that there are strong apprehensions of terrorist threats to the country through the sea route?" "As per available reports," he answered, "Pak based terrorist groups, particularly LeT, have been exploring possibilities of induction of manpower and terrorist hardware through the sea route..."
- On December 8, 2007, the National Security Adviser, M.K. Narayanan, was educating the world at the 4th Regional Security Summit organised by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, the Manama Dialogue. "According to our intelligence reports," he confided to the assembled sheikhs and experts, "there are now certain new schools that are now being established on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which now specialise in the training of an international brigade of terrorists to fight in many climes. According to our information, recruits from 14 to 15 countries have been identified as amongst the trainees there... Training has become extremely rigorous — it is almost frightening in nature... Studies are being carried out about important targets, with regard to vulnerability, accessibility, poor security, absence of proper counter-terrorism measures, etc. The sea route, in particular, is becoming the chosen route for carrying out many attacks, even on land. References to this are to be found replete in current terrorist literature." "Given India's experience in dealing with terrorism," he added, "I would like to therefore sound a note of warning, that there is no scope for complacency..."
- On March 11, 2008, A.K. Antony addressed the "International Maritime Search and Rescue Conference," in Delhi. He warned the delegates of "dangers of Terror attacks from the sea in the region." In the course of his address, Antony admitted that the Coast Guard faces shortage of manpower as well as hardware. But "necessary steps are being taken to strengthen the search and rescue infrastructure of the Indian Coast Guard..." On November 13, 2008, just a fortnight before the assaults at Mumbai, Manmohan Singh warned the BIMSTEC summit, "Terrorism and threats from the sea continue to challenge the authority of the state..."
- Read the full article here
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