NEW DELHI: Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba described terrorism as the most significant challenge of our times and warned of imminent attack on India by the terrorists using even the sea routes.
Admiral Sunil Lanba brought out that the Indo-Pacific Region has witnessed multiple forms of terrorism in recent years and the global nature which terrorism has acquired in recent times has further enhanced the scope of this threat. Saying that India faces a far more serious version of terrorism -State-Sponsored Terrorism Navy Chief talked about the Pulwama incident of February 14. Navy Chief said, “You have all witnessed the horrific scale of the extremist attack in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir just 3 weeks ago.”
This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a state which seeks to destabilise India, he said. Jaish-e-Muhammad cadre had carried out suicide attack on a CRPF convoy leading to the killing of 40 CRPF Troops.
Navy Chief warned of imminent attacks in future, “We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out attacks with varying modus operandi including through the medium of the sea.” he said.
There have been intelligence inputs that the Pakistan based terrorist training their cadres for underwater strike capabilities.
The attackers of 26/11 Taj had also come from sea. After the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008, several measures were announced by the government to strengthen coastal and maritime security along the entire coast. The Indian Navy leads the maritime security with the assistance of the Indian Coast Guard, Marine Police and other Central and state agencies.
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba was speaking at the two day Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) - 2019 being held at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. He warned the domain experts and policy makers of 13 countries of the Indo-Pacific saying, “ We have seen how quickly terrorist groups evolve across the globe and this particular ‘brand’ of terror may well become a global problem in the near future. The Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace. It is imperative that the global community acts in concertto contain and eliminate terrorism, in all its forms.”
To address these diverse challenges, and harness the potential of the Indo-Pacific Region Navy Chief impressed that there is a need for countries to evolve collective and inclusive solutions.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Navy on Tuesday claimed it thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter the country's territorial waters. Pakistan Navy also shared a footage with the media, which it said was "actual". "The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Indian Navy issued an official statement about Pakistan’s claim of tracking Indian Submarine. “As was stated during the Joint Press Conference on 28 Feb 19, the Indian Navy remains deployed as necessary to protect National Maritime Interests.” Said the statement. The statement added further, “Over the past several days, we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The Indian Navy does not take cognizance of such propaganda. Our deployments remain undeterred.”