Govt plans White Paper on ISI
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 — On the eve of resumption of the crucial Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks, the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, today announced that a white paper on the activities of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence will be prepared and presented before Parliament.

Mr Advani’s statement was made at a meeting of the Consultative Committee of Parliament attached to the Home Ministry which was convened today to discuss Pakistan sponsored terrorism in India.

"On a demand made by the members of Consultative Committee of Parliament attached to the Home Ministry, the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, stated here today that a White Paper on ISI activities in India will be prepared for presenting before Parliament," an official release said.

The statement came even as India and Pakistan are slated to hold official-level talks in Islamabad tomorrow, which had been stalled for several months.

Yesterday the Home Ministry had for the first time released figures showing the "magnitude and extent of damage caused by ISI sponsored terrorism".

Today the ministry made a detailed presentation on the "awesome dimensions of the menace in the country".

The release said that during the discussions all members of the Committee, cutting across party lines, unanimously called upon the Union Home Minister to take all possible steps to counter such activities and present to the people of the country the real state of affairs in this regard.

Mr Advani informed the members that several steps had been taken in recent months which include border fencing, intensification of border patrolling, supply of equipment for effective observations by day and night, increase in the number of border nakas as well as ensuring effective working of the intelligence machinery.

He also said the steps include sensitising and alerting the state governments regarding movements of ISI agents, anti-national elements and insurgents.

In addition Mr Advani said the Government had been apprising friendly countries about the continuing support in terms of equipment, arms and training given by Pakistan to terrorists in India.

Mr Advani also claimed that as a result of the steps taken to check terrorist activities the situation in Jammu and Kashmir had improved.

During the current year alone, 18 ISI modules have been smashed in the country and a large number of terrorists either apprehended or killed.

According to an MP who attended the meeting, members wanted to know about the Afghanistan connection and also reports in the media regarding the visit of Saudia billionaire Osama bin Laden, a Taliban supporter, to Hyderabad.

Among the MPs present in the meeting were Mr Chandra Shekhar Sahu, Mr Mohan Delkar, Mr Nakli Singh, Mr Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, Mr G.M. Banatwala, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, Mr Arif Mohammed Khan, Dr Jayanta Rongpi, Mr W. Rajkumar and Mr T.R. Baalu from the Lok Sabha and Mr Rajnath Singh, Mr Narendra Mohan, Mr Devi Prasad Singh, Mr Debabrata Biswas, Mr Kuldip Nayyar, Mr Nabam Rebia, Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Mr B.P. Singhal and Mr Arun Shourie from the Rajya Sabha.