Pak-sponsored terror, Jihadi acts biggest external security challenges: Reddy

Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and jihadi activities are the biggest external security challenges for the country, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday.

Addressing a conference of chiefs of the Anti Terrorist Squads (ATS), organised by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Reddy said terrorism has been a major challenge for the country, a curse for any civilised society and the biggest obstacle to modern development.

Pakistan-sponsored, cross-border terrorism and jihadi terrorism are the biggest external security challenges for India but the country has always been capable of meeting such challenges, he said.

The Union minister of state for home said for decades India had waged a patient fight against terrorism and the Modi government is determined to eradicate terrorism completely.

Hailing the success of security forces in bringing peace in Punjab, the Northeast, Kashmir and parts of the country affected by Left Wing Extremism, he said the world's largest democracy has a duty to support the international community in fighting the menace of terrorism.

Reddy also called for a strong legal framework with all the necessary infrastructure and human resources essential to defeat terrorism and noted the strengthening of the legal framework in India by making desired amendments in the anti-terrorist laws against terrorism, and by amending the NIA Act.

Reddy said Jammu and Kashmir, despite being in India, was acting as a separate sovereign state due to disruptive and separatist activities.

The government of India has merged Jammu and Kashmir with India by removing Article 370 and has succeeded in crushing cross-border terrorism. The move will also result in all-round development of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh.

The minister said India's national security challenges were functions of its unique geography, diversity and regional as well as global developments.

He mentioned fundamentalism, separatist movements, extremism, communalism and Maoist violence as the major internal security challenges faced by India.

Reddy said the biggest challenge before the government was to ensure a peaceful environment in the country so that the fruits of development reach everyone.

He said the country's internal and external adversaries are keenly watching the remarkable development of India and want to disrupt the journey of this development, and urged the officers present to be mindful of this fact.

The minister flagged the increasing use of cyberspace by terrorist organisations as an emerging global challenge and noted the role played by the NIA in containing this new threat.

He noted that the extent of cyberspace is wider than the national boundaries and therefore exercising effective jurisdiction over it is a very difficult task. He said the only way to deal with this problem effectively is through international cooperation and coordination between all stakeholders.