Dr Singh prefaced his remarks by saying: “I would like to apologise to our people for the fact that these dastardly acts could not be prevented.” He also noted “with great sorrow” that a number of foreign nationals were victims of the Mumbai onslaught and added: “I have personally spoken and written to leaders of countries apologising for the loss of their nationals.” The external affairs minister, Mr Pranab Mukh-erjee, also the Leader of the House, said, “This is an issue where adequate pressure is to be built up. I have no quarrel with the democratic government of Pakistan.”
But on the question of non-state actors, he said, “Are they coming from heaven? Or did they come from a different planet? The non-state actors are operating from within a particular country. What we are suggesting to the government of Pakistan is that they please act. Mere expression of intention is not adequate.” He added that he did not believe in the strait-jacketed simple formula is a complex situation. We want to encourage democratic institutions, a democratic system in Pakistan, but it is not for us. We cannot deliver this, it is for the people of Pakistan,” Mr Mukherjee said. “And, most respectfully, I would like to submit that simply by raising hysteria that a big power is going to attack, and trying to divert attention by taking the plea of a hoax call from the Indian foreign minister to the Pakistan President is not going to yield results,” he added.
Admitting that there were “gaps” in the intelligence setup, the government said it will take a number of steps, including strengthening laws and setting up a national investigation agency to insulate the country from terror strikes.
In a suo moto statement in the Lok Sabha, Union home minister P. Chidambaram said the government has decided to set up a coastal command for overall security of the 7,500-km coastline and create NSG hubs in various parts of the country as part of measures to make the protective system more effective. He said the government proposes to bring a set of bills “to strengthen the legal provisions relating to the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of terror acts”.
But on the question of non-state actors, he said, “Are they coming from heaven? Or did they come from a different planet? The non-state actors are operating from within a particular country. What we are suggesting to the government of Pakistan is that they please act. Mere expression of intention is not adequate.” He added that he did not believe in the strait-jacketed simple formula is a complex situation. We want to encourage democratic institutions, a democratic system in Pakistan, but it is not for us. We cannot deliver this, it is for the people of Pakistan,” Mr Mukherjee said. “And, most respectfully, I would like to submit that simply by raising hysteria that a big power is going to attack, and trying to divert attention by taking the plea of a hoax call from the Indian foreign minister to the Pakistan President is not going to yield results,” he added.
Admitting that there were “gaps” in the intelligence setup, the government said it will take a number of steps, including strengthening laws and setting up a national investigation agency to insulate the country from terror strikes.
In a suo moto statement in the Lok Sabha, Union home minister P. Chidambaram said the government has decided to set up a coastal command for overall security of the 7,500-km coastline and create NSG hubs in various parts of the country as part of measures to make the protective system more effective. He said the government proposes to bring a set of bills “to strengthen the legal provisions relating to the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of terror acts”.
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