'US discovery of ISI-terror links not surprising’

India Friday said it was not surprised that the US has now discovered Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI's links with terror outfits including the Haqqani group, saying this was always known.

"We are not surprised that US lately discovered ISI's link with a number of other terrorist groups. We always know that ISI has links with terrorist groups," Chidambaram said on the latest US assessment that the ISI had links with Haqqani network in Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

The relations between US and Pakistan has come under strain recently after the US military and the Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) said that Haqqani network is closely linked to and sometimes acts as an agent for Pakistan's ISI.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, publicly accused the ISI of colluding with the Haqqani network in the September 13 attack on the American Embassy in Kabul.

On underworld don Dawood Ibrahim wanted in India, Chidambaram said there was very little that this country can do to counter Pakistan's denial about presence of the global terrorist there.

Chidambaram was replying to a question from a reporter who said that Anees Ibrahim, brother of Dawood, mastermind of 1993 Mumbai serial blast, had called some television channels claiming that his nephew was married recently.

"This is not new either. I think we know more than what Dawood Ibrahim's brother told you. We know where he is but surely no one is allowing, no one will allow me to go to the place and point out his house," Chidambaram said after his monthly briefing about performance of his ministry for the month of September.

He said the matter had been raised with Pakistan many a time. "We have raised it with Pakistan. I have raised it with my counterparts. They are in a flat denial. They deny that Dawood Ibrahim is in Pakistan.

"What is there we can do from India except some day or the other that it will be exposed as a lie," he said.

55-year-old Dawood escaped from India immediately after the 1993 blasts. India has secured an Interpol Red Corner warrant against him. According to the US, Dawood maintained close links with al-Qaeda and as a consequence, he was declared a "global terrorist" in 2003.

Did Chidambaram offer to quit?

A day after Prime Minister reiterated his faith in P Chidambaram, who is battling to steer clear of the 2G spectrum taint, reports claimed today that the Home Minister had offered to quit over the issue.

Reports suggested that the PM does not the 2G scam damage to spread further and drag in of more ministers. Soon after the ‘secret note’, sent by the finance ministry to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), that suggested that Chidambaram (as finance minister) could have ensured, had in wanted, on auctioning of 2G spectrum in 2008, came to the fore, the Home Minister had called up the Prime Minister.

The Home Minister reportedly offered to quit but the Prime minister told him to not take any “hasty decisions” and wait for him to come back from the United States on September 27.

Later during an interaction with the press, Manmohan Singh said, “As far as Mr Chidambaram is concerned, he enjoyed my confidence as finance minister and continues to inspire my confidence as Home Minister.”

The Congress party also seems to be working on the same lines with the party offering unequivocal support to Chidambaram. Party leaders have sworn by the integrity of the home minister and scoffed at any suggestions that he had in any way played a role in the faulty spectrum allocation policy adopted by former telecom minister A Raja.

Pranab Mukherjee, his ministry had virtually blamed Chidambaram for not taking pre-emptive action, also called up Chidambaram from the US. He reportedly told an upset Chidambaram that the document that put the blame on the home minister was a ‘background note’ and that he had not approved the letter.

Party president Sonia Gandhi is said to have been kept informed about the development and she would step in after both the Prime Minister and Pranab Mukherjee return back to the country.

Chidambaram in 2G net, SC to decide on CBI probe

The Supreme Court is expected to decide, Today, whether a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe is needed into what Subramanian Swamy alleges to be the role of P Chidambaram in deciding the price of 2G spectrum allocations.

Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy had indicated that Home Minister P Chidambaram, as the then finance minister, was along with jailed former communications minister A Raja involved in deciding the 2G spectrum price.

The documents filed by Swamy included a communication of Jan 30, 2008, by the department of economic affairs of the finance ministry recording the gist of the meeting between the then finance minister Chidambaram and Raja.

The communication signed by the then finance secretary D Subbarao said: "The FM (finance minister) said that for now we are not seeking to revisit the current regimes for entry fee or revenue sharing."

Subbarao also recorded the finance minister's suggestion that "keeping in view lessons of experience, allotment of licences and allocation of spectrum must be based on solid legal grounds".

Swamy told the court that all along, on the question of 2G spectrum pricing, the then finance minister and his ministry's officials were kept in the loop.

He pointed to various letters and internal communications and said that April 21, 2008, the then finance minister sent a "non-paper" to the communications minister, conveying that an "in principle" decision may be taken to price the spectrum beyond 4.4 MHz as has been suggested by the department of telecommunications (DoT).

The government and the CBI have opposed a CBI probe into Chidambaram’s role. They are of the view that, as a special trial court is besieged of the matter, the SC should not order a CBI probe at this juncture.

Meanwhile, in a new twist to the second generation (2G) spectrum case, a note to the Prime Minister's Office from the finance ministry says this resource could have auctioned in 2008 if Home Minister P Chidambaram, then the finance minister, had "stuck to his stand".

In the note, the finance ministry says Chidambaram could have prevented spectrum from being given away at throwaway prices by insisting on its auction -- alluding that presumptive losses worth thousands of crores could have thus been avoided.

The note, which was apparently shown to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and accessed by way by an application under the Right to Information Act, was prepared by a deputy secretary in the finance ministry and sent to the Prime Minister's Office March 25.

Chidambaram: Government's record on Mumbai, Delhi terror attacks

Calling two recent terror attacks - blasts in Mumbai and Delhi -- "blots" on his government's record, Union home minister P Chidambaram on Today said the challenge of terrorism was a formidable challenge that required a comprehensive strategy of counter terrorism.

He also said that Pakistan and Afghanistan were epicentres of terror and most of the terror group based in the neighbouring country continued to target India.

Addressing top cops of the country at a conference, Chidamaram said: "The two terrorist attacks in the space of two months are indeed blots on our record. Naturally, the Central government and the security forces have been severely criticised. While we accept the responsibility for the incidents and the legitimate criticism, it is our duty to set out the context in which such terrorist attacks take place."

Stating that no country in the world appears to be entirely immune to the threat of terror, he said: "In 2011, up to August, there have been 279 major terrorist incidents in 22 countries. The worst affected are Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The epicentre of terror is Afghanistan-Pakistan. Four out of five major terrorist groups are based in Pakistan and three of them - LeT, JeM and HM - continue to target India".

He also admitted that there was no let up in attempts to infiltrate from across the line of control in Jammu & Kashmir. Besides, there are attempts to infiltrate terrorists via Nepal and Bangladesh into India as well as find a safe transit route from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu, he added.

The home minister also spoke about Indian modules, saying they seem to have the capacity to attract radicalised youth to their fold. "Some modules are loosely knit under an organisation called Indian Mujahideen. Many old cadres of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India have morphed into IM cadres. There are other Indian modules that espouse the cause of right wing religious fundamentalism or separatism. Many of these modules have acquired the capacity to make bombs," he said.

Asking police chief to build capacity to deal with several threats, the home minister said: "We do not have just one pre-eminent threat; we have several. We must build the capacity to deal with these multiple threats. Capacity building is work in progress. It requires time, money, human resources, technology and harnessing the capacity of every agency and organisation in the country".

Citing United States example, Chidambaram mentioned that following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States identified the al-Qaida as its pre-eminent security threat and declared war on al-Qaida and its affiliates and adherents. Over a period of 10 years, the US created the Department of Homeland Security; brought together 22 agencies and bodies under that department; fought two wars; and sent its agents and troops into other countries. 6,000 soldiers died; 137,000 civilians lost their lives and 7.8 millions became refugees. The cost was USD 4 trillion. And in a document put out in June 2011 the US admitted that the job is not yet done. During the last 10 years, there were three terrorist attacks on US soil (with 16 dead and 34 injured) and three nearly successful terrorist attempts that providentially failed.

The home minister in his speech gave details of what India has done in the last over two years in terms of capacity building but said: "Yet, we have not done enough. There are still over 5,00,000 vacancies in State police forces. After the cadre review, the authorised strength of the IPS was increased to 4,720. On January 1, 2011, there were 3,393 officers in position and it will take seven years to reach the optimum level. Not all states have enacted the new Police Act nor set up the State Police Establishment Board. Not all states have adopted the transparent recruitment process".

Admitting that money is a big constraint, he said: "While the expenditure on internal security by the ministry of home affairs has increased from Rs 25,302 crore in 2008-09 to a budgeted amount of Rs.40,834 crore in 2011-12, all the States and UTs put together have provided to their police forces only Rs.61,024 crore in 2011-12. Thus, we will spend Rs.101,858 crore this year on policing the whole country. This figure must be compared with Rs.164,415 crore that has been budgeted for the Defence services. It is obvious that the Centre and States must provide more money to their police forces".