'India next on Afghan Taliban's radar'

| | New Delhi
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'India next on Afghan Taliban's radar'

Tuesday, 21 January 2014 | PNS | New Delhi

India will be the next target of terror groups like Taliban operating in Afghanistan if they succeeded in capturing power in the war-ravaged country, former National Security Adviser MK Narayanan said here on Monday.

Narayanan also said it was particularly worrying that Pakistan showed no inclination to desist from pursuing “high risk” strategies and  appeared determined to support Jihadist elements as a strategic instrumentality to keep India off balance.

The West Bengal Governor said given India’s location, it was easy to see how the threat posed by terrorism -- most of which emanates from outside the country’s borders -- was dependent on what prevails in the volatile and difficult neighbourhood.

“Surrender to extremist forces like Taliban in Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s willingness to hold unconditional talks with Taliban have the gravest consequences for us,” he said addressing the first Radha Vinod Raju memorial lecture organised on the occasion of National Investigation Agency day.

late RV Raju was the first Director General of NIA, which was set up in the aftermath of Mumbai terror attack in 2008.

Narayanan, also former chief of Intelligence Bureau, said in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a combination of state weakness and the presence of myriad terrorist groups in both the countries constitutes a direct threat.

“Taliban extremism in both the countries shows no signs of muting itself... The basic weakness in administration there and presence of various terror groups, including Taliban, allowed them to do what they like. If they succeeded in Afghanistan, India is their next target. That has always been the premise and presumption and therefore we need to be on our guard,” he said.

Touting the decline in terror incidents, during the past two years, as evidence that terrorism has been effectively checked will be a “grievous error”, Narayanan warned.

He said that perhaps for the first time in the history of terrorism worldwide, terrorist networks are currently “seeking to hold territory rather than merely attacking high profile and soft targets”.

He also said that several new terror outfits are experimenting with “hitherto unknown methods and techniques” and some of those which have emerged, “rival” the al-Qaeda and lashkar-e-Taiba in their “capacity to unleash violence”.

Most important among a dozen or more leT controlled networks across India is the Indian Mujahideen and it consists mainly of disaffected Muslim youth, induced to come to Karachi and then sent for training to the Pak-Afghan border or Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, he added.

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