?BJP is concerned over the security of islands in Indian seas. The gruesome terrorist attack on Mumbai city in November 2008 has made the people of India extremely concerned over the growing threat of terrorists infiltrating into the country through sea routes and unleashing terror on its soil,? said BJP national president Shri Rajnath Singh on March 1, 2009 in Port Blair.
?India'svast coastline has already become vulnerable to illegal infiltration, smuggling of arms and ammunition from neighbouring countries. The intelligence agencies have now reported that nearly 1,200 uninhabited islands in the Indian seas pose a major security threat as the terrorist organistaions like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are planning to make these islands as their new base to launch terrorist attacks against India.
?These islands are scattered all over in the Indian seas. Isle of Man and Tilangchong near Nicobar Island, Barren Island in the Andaman Sea, Purbasha Island near Bangladesh, Kuruvadweep in the Kabiri river delta in Kerala, and Kalpeni and Cheriyam near Lakshadweep are among the hundreds of uninhabited islands scanned by the terrorist organisations to make their base.
?Pakistan'sintelligence agency the ISI in collusion with Pak-based terrorist outfits is desperately looking for an opportunity to expand its terror network by starting operational bases in these islands. The JeM has planned to train its cadres in deep-sea diving and impart them skills required to sail in deep sea. The BJP believes that the security of these uninhabited islands is vital for the larger national security network and no stone should be left unturned to ensure the security of these islands.
?Although the Home Ministry had decided to give bio-metric ID cards to all inhabitants living in and around these islands and the process was to be completed by the end of February 2009, it failed to meet the deadline. Many people are yet to receive the biometric cards living around these islands. The people of India do not want a repeat of Mumbai terror attack in the country therefore the government should expedite the issuance of identity cards to all the citizens in these islands on a priority basis,? said the BJP president.
Promising the people that the NDA government will issue ID cards to the all Indian citizens living in Andaman and Nicobar and other islands at the earliest and strengthen the present network of coastal police stations in all the states and union territories, Shri Singh said that the NDA government will also make the coastal security network functional by providing adequate central assistance to the states and UTs.
?Keeping the news of security threat to our islands in mind it has become increasingly important to insulate our islands from the current spate of illegal immigration from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh.
?During the UPA regime no sincere effort was made to stop illegal infiltration but a BJP-led NDA government at Centre will not only detect illegal immigrants but also deport them quickly, if it comes to power,? he said.
Talking about government'sfailure to plug in US aid to Pakistan, he said the latest media reports of substantial increase in the US military aid to Pakistan has come as a rude shock to India. The BJP has been vociferously advocating proactive diplomatic efforts to plug in the US military and monetary assistance to Pakistan as it firmly believes that the international aid to the country is being continuously misused to fund anti-India activities and launch terrorist attacks against India, Shri Singh added.
He further said: ?The President of the United States Shri Barack Obama himself had expressed concern over the misuse of American aid by Pakistan against India, during his election campaign. Therefore the media reports has certainly disappointed all those who believed that Obama administration will bring a paradigm shift in the US policy regarding financial and military assistance to countries like Pakistan.
?According to an estimate the US aid to Pakistan is nearly $2 billion a year. Last year, the US helped Pakistan by pleading its case with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to give a $7.6 billion aid package to save its economy from bankruptcy.?
(FOC)
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