Indian PM warns of fresh terror camps in Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Rishabh the son of A. K. Sharma, a school teacher who was killed in bomb blast outside Delhi high court, prays during his fathers cremation in New Delhi on September 8, 2011. Police in Indian Kashmir questioned three men in connection with a deadly bombing at New Delhi’s High Court, as the prime minister acknowledged systemic “weaknesses” in domestic security. The powerful blast ripped through a crowd of lawyers and litigants queueing to enter the court complex in the heart of the Indian capital, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 80.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned of renewed activity by terrorists based in Pakistan-administered Kashmir Friday, in the wake of U.S. criticism of Pakistan's efforts in the war on terror.
Speaking at a three-day Directors General and Inspectors General conference organised by India's Intelligence Bureau, Singh said, "There are reports of cross-border camps for terrorists being reactivated, and of attempts to induct fresh batches of militants into the country," the Hindustan Times reported.
Singh also said the recent terror attacks in Mumbai and Delhi "are grim reminders of the challenges posed by terrorism to our national security," the paper reported. "Over the last year, Left-wing extremism has also claimed the lives of many innocent persons and police personnel," Singh said.
On Thursday, the U.S. designated the Indian Mujahideen a terrorist group. This was the first time that an India-based outfit received the terror tag. “They are a very lethal terrorist group in their own right in India. They have carried out a number of attacks within India’s borders on innocent civilians, and although not confirmed, there’s a suspicion that they were responsible for the recent bombings in Mumbai on July 13,” India's Hindu newspaper quoted Mark Toner, State Department spokesman, as saying.
Earlier, Pakistan reacted angrily to U.S. hints that Islamabad has been complacent about the war on terror, the Hindu reported separately.
After this week's attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta warned Pakistan that Washington would not tolerate double-dealing from Islamabad on the fight against terror.
Claiming that the attack on the embassy was orchestrated by Pakistan-based Haqqani forces, Panetta said, "Time and again we've urged the Pakistanis to exercise their influence over these kinds of attacks from the Haqqanis. And we have made very little progress in that area," according to Reuters. "I think the message they (the Pakistanis) need to know is: we're going to do everything we can to defend our forces."