Terror threat from sea has increased and the possibility of militants trying to target Indian Navy warships and aircraft cannot be ruled out, Navy chief Admiral RK Dhowan said here on Wednesday. He sounded this caution in the wake of an attempt by the Taliban to hijack a Pakistan Navy frigate in Karachi two months back.
Admitting that this was a “serious” development and the Indian Navy has taken note of it, Dhowan said maritime terrorist threat perception has grown “many times” since 26/11. “Intelligence inputs indicate this danger is increasing and threat to our assets is real,” he said.
The Navy has nearly 140 warships and submarines besides 250 aircraft and terrorists can hit any of them in a suicidal attack.
The Navy chief made this observation when asked about the incident in Karachi where a group of Taliban fighters stormed a naval base and tried to hijack frigate PNS Zulfikar. The attempt was foiled by Pakistan security forces. The aim of Taliban was to hijack two navy ships and then ram them into US and Indian Navy warships in attempt to grab international attention.
listing out the threat perception during the annual press conference on the eve of the Navy Day, Dhowan said challenges have gone up many times since 26/11. The threats included piracy and terrorism besides presence of armed guards and floating armouries on board merchant ships. These armed guards are hired by merchant ships for protection from pirates.
Presenting a possible scenario of terror threat, Dhowan said out of the 2,50,000 fishing boats plying in the Indian waters, any one vessel can pick up weapons, explosives and armed militants. They can then be dropped at any of the 1,197 islands along the 7,500 km coastline to carry out the strike, the Navy chief said.
Stressing the point that ships and boats as per international maritime laws have the freedom of navigation, Dhowan said this makes it all the more difficult for the Navy and Coast Guard to ensure foolproof security. Incidentally, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also expressed concern last week over gaps in coastal security while addressing the annual conference of Director Generals of Police in Guwahati.
Despite these complexities, he said maritime security environment has improved since 26/11 and the Navy and Coast Guard are roping in fishermen to act as “eyes and ears.” Elaborating upon this crucial aspect, he said while out in the sea in a group of 40 to 50 boats, the fishermen can easily detect a new entrant which can be a possible threat.
The authorities have activated a toll free number for the last five years on which the fisherman can pass on the information about a strange or new boat, he said. Moreover, the Navy and Coast Guard personnel visit fishing hamlets in nine littoral States to sensitise them about the importance of passing on information through the toll free number. These awareness drives are undertaken during monsoon months when fishermen generally do not venture out into sea.
Besides this measure, the operationalisation of Information Management and Analysis Centre recently at Gurgaon has given a boost to coastal security and maritime domain awareness. The Centre gets real time information and pictures about ships plying in Indian waters through a chain of 46 radar stations, he said. Moreover, the Navy holds regular exercises with all the 15 other stakeholders in coastal security, including local police, customs, port authorities and intelligence agencies.