NEW DELHI: A terrorist attack similar to that of 11/26 in India is almost impossible as the national security architecture has been significantly strengthened in recent years, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said Thursday on the 12th anniversary of the Deadly Mumbai attack in which 166 people, including 28 foreigners from 10 nations, were killed.
Addressing an event in Delhi, Singh also referred to the border row between China and India in Ladakh, saying that the armed forces have been given the freedom to effectively deal with any attempts to change the Line of Control. Real and that the government will not allow any harm to India’s self respect.
“I want to assure everyone that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, there will be no compromise on India’s self-respect, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
Referring to the 11/26 attack, Singh said that India is no longer an easy target for terrorism due to a variety of measures in recent years, adding that Pakistan has been exposed as a “hotbed of terrorism” following the diplomatic reach of New Delhi.
“We can assure all compatriots that now India has strengthened its internal and external security cycle so much that it is now almost impossible to carry out another 11/26 attack on Indian soil,” Singh said.
On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists unleashed and carried out a coordinated attack on a train station, two luxury hotels, and a Jewish center, after they infiltrated India’s financial capital through from the Arabian Sea route.
More than 166 people, including 28 foreigners from 10 nations, were killed in the nearly 60-hour siege that sent shockwaves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
“Now India’s response to terrorism has been under a 360 degree approach. India is taking action within its borders. But, if necessary, our brave soldiers go further to destroy terrorist bases,” said the minister. defense.
The defense minister also referred to the failed attempts by Pakistan-based terrorists to recently carry out a major attack in Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Whether it is the surgical attack after the Uri incident or the Balakot airstrikes after the Pulwama attack, our armed forces have taken drastic measures to deal with terrorism,” Singh said.
“Pakistan’s model of terrorism against India is slowly being demolished … We have increased the cost for those who support terrorism, and countries like Pakistan may have to pay a high price for making terrorism a state policy,” Singh said.
The defense minister also said that a “blacklist” of Pakistan by the global counterterrorism watchdog FATF will prove very costly for that country which is already reeling from financial stress.
The 11/26 attack had given a new direction to India’s security policy, and since then there has been a “paradigm shift” in the naval and coastal security architecture, the minister added.
In the border row with China, the defense minister said that there was a difference in perception about LAC and that a problem arises when established protocols are violated.
“I assure you all that no one can claim an inch of the land of India,” Singh said.
On the assembly elections in West Bengal next year, Singh said there is a possibility that the BJP will win a two-thirds majority.
In the nearly 45-minute long interactive session, Singh delved into a plethora of topics, including farmer unrest, India’s defense modernization program, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, and the threat of a hybrid war. .
“Civil-military coordination has improved a lot after the elimination of Section 370 at J&K. We are seeing positive improvement there. Similarly, also in the Northeast, there has been a continuous improvement in the security situation,” he said.
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