Shah chairs IB meet with focus on counterterror
NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday chaired a meeting of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials from across the country to discuss issues related to cross-border terror, narcotics smuggling, and several other key issues, a government statement said.
During the six-hour meeting that went on from 11am to 5pm in the national capital, the home minister stressed on the need to further strengthen the process of information sharing and enhancing liaisoning between counterterrorism and anti-drug agencies of the states.
“Union home minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers from across the country in New Delhi today and reviewed the internal security situation of the country. The meeting held extensive discussions on various issues related to national security including counter terrorism, threat from extremism, cyber security related issues, border related aspects and threats from cross border elements to the integrity and stability of the nation,” said a ministry of home affairs (MHA) statement.
The statement quoted Shah as saying, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is committed to ensure the security of the country by strengthening all aspects of security.”
Lauding IB, he said the agency “has made a very important contribution in maintaining peace in the country since Independence, anonymously without any expectations”.
“Our fight is against terrorism as well as its support system; till we do not fight strictly against both of them, victory over terrorism cannot be achieved,” he added. He also said that there was a need to control the LeftWing Extremism (LWE) by dismantling its the financial and logistical support system.
Further, the home minister, told officials of the IB’s headquarters in Delhi and its subsidiary intelligence bureaus (SIBs) in states to make the country’s coastal security impenetrable. “For this, we should keep a close eye on even the smallest and most isolated port,” he added.
Speaking on the menace of drugs, he said: “Narcotics not only ruins the youth of the country, but the money earned from it also affects the internal security of the country. That is why we have to work together for its complete destruction.”
On continuous use of drones by Pakistan based terror organisations to send arms, drugs and explosives to India, Shah said, “We have to make maximum use of anti-drone technology to stop smuggling of drugs from across the border through drones”.