India said Friday it was ready to deal with any terrorist threat and announced new security measures in response to the deadly militant attacks on Mumbai last November. "We will back our diplomatic efforts with a high degree of preparedness to meet any terrorist threat or attack," Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi.
The new measures included a move to deploy counter-terrorism forces belonging to the National Security Guard around the country instead of only in New Delhi in order to ensure a swift response to any attack. The government has also struck a deal with airlines to ensure swift deployment of security forces in the case of a national emergency.
The Congress Party-led government has come under strong opposition criticism over the delayed response by authorities to the attacks that left 165 people dead, and is keen to be seen acting tough on security which is expected to emerge as a key issue in general elections that must be held by mid-May.
Co-ordination would be improved between security and espionage forces and offices holding security-related data using the help of a "multi-agency centre" known as MAC, Chidambaram promised. India has blamed the bloody 60-hour Mumbai siege on the banned Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which has been fighting Indian rule in the disputed region of Kashmir. Lashkar has denied the charge.
Earlier this month, Islamabad admitted that the Mumbai attacks were planned partly in Pakistan. "Countering cross-border terrorism is, to a large degree, a mind game. Our diplomacy has yielded results," said Chidambaram. India has mounted an intensive world-wide diplomatic effort to put pressure on Pakistan to fulfil a promise to root out Islamic militant groups.
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