The presence of terror camps in Pakistan continues to haunt the security establishment in India, which still feels that Inter-Services Intelligence-sponsored outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Al-Badr are responsible for carrying out terrorist attacks in different parts of the country.
Noting that there was no change in the attitude of the ISI in training terror groups like the LeT and JeM, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan recently said one of the greatest dangers India faced was terror camps being run on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border by the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
He said Pakistan continued to acquire missiles and other weapons and its military strategy remains India-centric.
According to the latest Status Paper on Internal Security brought out by the MHA, these outfits are 'well organised, interlinked, and have the latest hardware and communication equipment'.
The 'current strategy' of terrorist groups is to recruit and train local modules and activate them when required, maintain flow of finances to sustain terror network and supply hardware through land and sea routes.
Their strategy is also to target vital installations, economic infrastructure, VIPs and political leaders, attack soft targets like market places, mass transit system, places of worship and congregations, and also provoke communal tension to create a wedge between communities.
The Home Ministry said terror attacks like Samjhauta blast, Mecca Mosque attack, twin explosions in Hyderabad and incidents at the Dargah Sharif in Ajmer, besides the blasts in court premises in Uttar Pradesh 'have been committed by externally based and sponsored terrorist outfits with some local help'.
A senior MHA official said some recent incidents suggested that outfits like LeT and JeM used territory and elements in Bangladesh and Nepal for movement of men and material. The involvement of HUJAI-Bangladesh has come to notice in some of the recent incidents of terrorist violence, he said.
He said Indian youth were recruited by LeT and HUJAI-BD, which has links with LeT and JeM, for training in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, and re-launched into India 'for sabotage and subversive activities'.
As part of measures taken to meet the challenge, the official said states are regularly sensitised and specific intelligence inputs shared with them by Central agencies about the plans and designs of terrorist outfits.
He pointed out that a number of terrorist modules have been busted in different states by the state security and intelligence agencies in association with central agencies.
The states have also been asked to set up and strengthen well equipped and specially trained special police units to deal with acts of terror.
The Home Ministry has earmarked separate funds under the Police Modernisation and Security Related Expenditure schemes to enable states to strengthen local capabilities.