NSA meets top US anti-terror outfits

NSA M K Narayanan hold long meetings with top officials from Directorate of National Intelligence and Homeland Security to understand how US has managed to avert a major attack since 9/11.

With pressure mounting on the UPA Government over increasing terror incidents, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan spent over seven hours on his last day in New York holding long meetings with top officials from the Directorate of National Intelligence DNI and Homeland Security to understand how the US has managed to avert a major attack since 9/11.

It8217;s learnt that Narayanan got in touch with DNI Director Mike McConnell, the highest-ranking intelligence official in the US. The DNI is an umbrella organisation created after 9/11 to which some 16 key agencies, including the CIA, Homeland Security report, so that there can be coordination of intelligence inputs. He also met the Under Secretary in-charge of intelligence and analysis in the Department of Homeland Security, Charles Allan, in a series of meetings.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made it clear as well that the Government needed to improve its intelligence apparatus, investigating methods and prosecution methods. When asked about Saturday8217;s blast in South Delhi in which two persons were killed, he said: 8220;My heart goes out to those who have lost their dear ones and those who have suffered injuries. It is not possible for me from this distance to comment on who is responsible for this outrage, but all I can say is that it once again demonstrates that we have to tighten our intelligence gathering and strengthen our investigation processes, we have to strengthen our prosecution processes. But we cannot give up our fight against terror.8221;

Narayanan8217;s meetings were an indication of certain urgency in the Government, though officials admitted that it may be difficult to transplant measures adopted by the DNI and Homeland Security in India. Incidentally, McConnell had visited India earlier this year, soon after he took over, and met Narayanan as well as heads of the Intelligence Bureau and RAW.

The DNI runs an intelligence community-civilian joint duty programme that involves people in the entire process, while its hi-tech monitoring devices allow it to randomly track e-mails and telephone conversations. After 9/11, much of this became a necessity in the US, but the same could be regarded intrusive in India.

Sources said more than restructuring of India8217;s intelligence-gathering apparatus, what may be on the cards is strengthening capabilities in all aspects, from human resource to technology.

While discussing terror during their meeting last week, Singh and Bush had touched upon Pakistan. Sources said the two leaders agreed that Pakistan was going through a period of uncertainty and that newly elected President Asif Zardari would have to be given time before an accurate assessment of his effectiveness could be made. India8217;s current assessment is that there are multiple power centres in Pakistan, making it difficult to locate the right interlocutor when it comes to acting on terror.