No threat of imminent attack: India

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) India Home Minister P
Chidambaram Monday said there are terrorists groups plotting
attacks against India but there is no specific threat of an
imminent attack.

"...but that does not mean that, as I speak to you,
there is a specific threat of an imminent attack anywhere.
There are groups which are plotting against India. Therefore,
the threat against India remains.

"But that does not mean that there is an imminent threat
and imminent attack tomorrow or day after," he told reporters
briefing them on the deliberations of the conference of the
chief ministers on internal security.

Chidambaram was replying to questions about the
statement made by India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his
inaugural speech that there was credible information of
ongoing plans of terrorist groups to carry out attacks in
India.

The Home Minister said both he and the Prime Minister
have said that that despite the fact that the last terrorist
attack in India was in November, the gravity of threat has in
no way receded.

"That threat remains. Now when there is a terrorist
threat to India, one has to assume that the threat could be to
any part of India. I said in my opening statement we cannot
afford to lower our guard and we shall not lower our guard,"
he said.

Asked in view of these statements India should continue
the policy of trust and verify with Pakistan, Chidambaram said
"Yes. I think that is a wise policy statement made after
careful deliberations. We must trust and verify in our
dealings with Pakistan".

He said that was what the Prime Minister said and "if
you want in colourful language, I can say we should keep our
powder dry".

Chidambaram said none of this was contradictory to each
other. "The broader thrust of the Prime Minister's statement
is that we must trust but verify is a very wise policy".

Summing up the deliberations, he said that it was his
intention to work closely with the state governments and
acknowledging the primacy of the state governments in
maintaining public order.

"I propose to resume my visits to the states so that the
Chief Ministers of the state and I could jointly review the
security situation in that state and examine state-specific
needs and issues in some details and take many decisions on
the spot," the Minister said. (More) PTI ACB
DDC
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