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Saturday, July 16, 2011
terrrorist
Mumbai blasts: Experts slam Chidambaram over no intel comment
Aman Sharma | New Delhi, July 16, 2011 | Updated 09:20 IST
P. Chidambaram
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram.
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* UK condemns Mumbai blasts
* Mumbai blasts: Toll 18, PC hints at bid to derail Indo-Pak talks
* Serial blasts: Mumbaikars use social media to help victims
As Mumbai struggles to come to terms with its vulnerability, home minister P. Chidambaram inadvertently laid bare the lacuna in the intelligence network when he said that there was no information available of an imminent attack on the nation's commercial capital.
"But it does not mean failure of intelligence agencies," Chidambaram went on to add, perhaps realising the damage he has already done.
Former Intelligence Bureau chief Ajit Doval called this a "nonsense" statement.
"I think it is more of a political statement from him… either you have intelligence or you do not have intelligence," Doval said.
Noted strategic expert and former additional secretary in R&AW, B. Raman said such statements showed Chidambaram's reluctance to admit deficiencies in the system.
"Such statements by the home minister show a tendency not to admit the loopholes in the security system. This could be counter- productive. The deficiencies need to be identified," Raman observed.
Chidambaram had also tried to defend the failure of the intelligence agencies when he claimed that not just Mumbai but other Indian cities too are vulnerable to terror attacks.
"Like other cities, Delhi is vulnerable too," Chidambaram had warned on Thursday. But if all cities in India remain vulnerable to terror strikes, how is Chidambaram a better home minister than his predecessor, Shivraj Patil?
Doval said Chidambaram is perhaps the best anyone had been as home minister. "But he can be far more effective by being a more patient listener," he added.
The home minister's statement that in 2011 there has been more terror attacks across the world compared to what India had seen did not go down well with prominent strategic expert Ajay Sahani, who is also the director of the Institute for Conflict Management.
"If you are comparing with the worst such as Pakistan or Iraq and say we are better, then God help us. Why don't we compare ourselves with countries like the UK and the US who have not seen any terror attacks for several years now? Why don't you compare yourself with China?" Sahani asked.
Chidambaram had also pointed out that a number of terror modules had been busted by the security agencies in the last 31 months, but did not reveal the details. But Sahani said most such arrests were invariably linked to old cases and rarely was a person brought to trial for a foiled terror plot.
"These cannot be called preventive successes," Sahani said. He compared the situation in India with that of the US or the UK. In the case of the latter, terror modules have been busted while preparing a major attack and people have been prosecuted in court with documentary proof.
"But what happens in India is that we say there was a threat to the Commonwealth Games or the World Cup cricket and when no attack takes place, we take credit. This is not preventive success because we have not arrested the person who was planning that foiled attack and prosecuted him," Sahani observed.
He said that though Chidambaram claimed to have greatly enhanced intelligence capabilities, the same was not good enough as exposed in the Mumbai blast case where no intelligence was on offer. " The total capacity of the intelligence agencies in India is not even a fraction of what is needed," Sahani said.
Chidambaram's gems
* When there is no intelligence on a particular incident, it does not mean failure of intelligence agencies... There was no intelligence of an imminent attack in Mumbai...
* Attacks in Mumbai does not mean other cities in India are not vulnerable. Delhi is vulnerable… we live in the world's most troubled neighbourhood. Cities all over the world are vulnerable.
* This incident has happened in Mumbai after 31 months. In between, there has been one terror attack in India - in Pune. This shows Mumbai Police has built lots of capacity. Large number of threats have been foiled.
Aman Sharma | New Delhi, July 16, 2011 | Updated 09:20 IST
P. Chidambaram
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram.
Utilities
Buy article
Get social
Comment
plus
Relateds
* UK condemns Mumbai blasts
* Mumbai blasts: Toll 18, PC hints at bid to derail Indo-Pak talks
* Serial blasts: Mumbaikars use social media to help victims
As Mumbai struggles to come to terms with its vulnerability, home minister P. Chidambaram inadvertently laid bare the lacuna in the intelligence network when he said that there was no information available of an imminent attack on the nation's commercial capital.
"But it does not mean failure of intelligence agencies," Chidambaram went on to add, perhaps realising the damage he has already done.
Former Intelligence Bureau chief Ajit Doval called this a "nonsense" statement.
"I think it is more of a political statement from him… either you have intelligence or you do not have intelligence," Doval said.
Noted strategic expert and former additional secretary in R&AW, B. Raman said such statements showed Chidambaram's reluctance to admit deficiencies in the system.
"Such statements by the home minister show a tendency not to admit the loopholes in the security system. This could be counter- productive. The deficiencies need to be identified," Raman observed.
Chidambaram had also tried to defend the failure of the intelligence agencies when he claimed that not just Mumbai but other Indian cities too are vulnerable to terror attacks.
"Like other cities, Delhi is vulnerable too," Chidambaram had warned on Thursday. But if all cities in India remain vulnerable to terror strikes, how is Chidambaram a better home minister than his predecessor, Shivraj Patil?
Doval said Chidambaram is perhaps the best anyone had been as home minister. "But he can be far more effective by being a more patient listener," he added.
The home minister's statement that in 2011 there has been more terror attacks across the world compared to what India had seen did not go down well with prominent strategic expert Ajay Sahani, who is also the director of the Institute for Conflict Management.
"If you are comparing with the worst such as Pakistan or Iraq and say we are better, then God help us. Why don't we compare ourselves with countries like the UK and the US who have not seen any terror attacks for several years now? Why don't you compare yourself with China?" Sahani asked.
Chidambaram had also pointed out that a number of terror modules had been busted by the security agencies in the last 31 months, but did not reveal the details. But Sahani said most such arrests were invariably linked to old cases and rarely was a person brought to trial for a foiled terror plot.
"These cannot be called preventive successes," Sahani said. He compared the situation in India with that of the US or the UK. In the case of the latter, terror modules have been busted while preparing a major attack and people have been prosecuted in court with documentary proof.
"But what happens in India is that we say there was a threat to the Commonwealth Games or the World Cup cricket and when no attack takes place, we take credit. This is not preventive success because we have not arrested the person who was planning that foiled attack and prosecuted him," Sahani observed.
He said that though Chidambaram claimed to have greatly enhanced intelligence capabilities, the same was not good enough as exposed in the Mumbai blast case where no intelligence was on offer. " The total capacity of the intelligence agencies in India is not even a fraction of what is needed," Sahani said.
Chidambaram's gems
* When there is no intelligence on a particular incident, it does not mean failure of intelligence agencies... There was no intelligence of an imminent attack in Mumbai...
* Attacks in Mumbai does not mean other cities in India are not vulnerable. Delhi is vulnerable… we live in the world's most troubled neighbourhood. Cities all over the world are vulnerable.
* This incident has happened in Mumbai after 31 months. In between, there has been one terror attack in India - in Pune. This shows Mumbai Police has built lots of capacity. Large number of threats have been foiled.
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