White paper on ISI activities

Advani informed the members that several steps had been taken by the Government in recent months to check the activities of Pakistani ISI agents, insurgents and anti-national elements in the country.

The Government has apprised friendly nations of Pakistan’s continuing support to terrorist activities in India, he said, adding the Pakistan Government provides moral and material support to the terrorists, including equipment, arms and training.

The members called upon the minister to take steps to counter such activities and present the `real situation’ in this regard.

The Centre finalised a seven-point action plan yesterday to stamp out terrorism in the country and check ISI activities. The plan was finalised at the meeting ofchief ministers of eight northern states.

During yesterday’s meeting, it was agreed upon to set up a special task force to tackle the menace of the ISI-sponsored terrorism in the country.

The Home Minister informed the meeting that the Government had intensified border patrolling, provided equipment to security forces for effective observation, increased the number of border posts and strengthened the intelligence network.

He added that as a result of steps taken to check terrorist activities, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir had improved. He said security forces had “smashed” 16 ISI modules in the country and arrested or killed a large number of terrorists, adding more than 47,700 weapons had been recovered.