'Pak trying to bleed India through a thousand cuts'

Pakistan is trying to bleed India through a thousand cuts and the country's economic establishments are running the risk of being attacked, a top government official said on Tuesday.

"This (Jehadi) brand of terrorism is primarily sponsored by our neighbouring country in the west whose... policy is to conduct war against India by all other means and bleed us through a thousand cuts. This naturally includes the targeting of anything...with a view to damaging, degrading or destroying the engines of economic growth and critical centres of power and strength of our country," Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Home Ministry U K Bansal said.

Bansal was delivering his inaugural address at a seminar titled 'the challenge of terrorism to India's infrastructure and economy'. "It is legitimate to anticipate that countries and entities hostile to Indian interest will try to extract maximum advantage in their efforts by attacking our economic and high value targets. Critical economic infrastructure is obviously in the firing line...," he said.

Bansal added these activities are being "planned, financed and facilitated" from across the western border of the country. "The fact is that it is clearly directed to cause multi-lateral damage. For instance, the natural and social harmony was targeted at Akshardham (in 2002). Economic institution such as the Bombay Stock Exchange and business hub like Zaveri Bazaar are regarded as legitimate targets by Pakistan," he remarked.

"The attack on the Indian Parliament is a clear example of the extent of deep rooted animosity against the Indian state which can lead Pakistan to the targeting of the most visible centres of Indian democracy and nationhood," Bansal, who will take over as the chief of the BSF from November 1, said.

"(We will have) to have discussion on the nature of the causes of this animosity which is planned, financed and facilitated from across the western borders. It is too well known. The virulent anti-Indian statements of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Mullah Omar and their cohorts are ample testimony to nefarious designs of the Pakistani state, not withstanding their capacity or not withstanding their efforts to create categories such as non-state actors or create myths such as Kashmiri nationalism and self determination.

"It is therefore in our vital national security interest to sit back (and take stock of) all our national assets as they are regarded as legitimate targets by the enemy. A massive security effort is warranted to prevent and deal with the security threats to our vital and high value targets," he said.

The high value targets include defence and security related infrastructure, steel plants, oil and gas pipelines, power plants and other such installations, Bansal said.