Antony asks forces to be vigilant along Pak borders

New Delhi: With India certain of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) being used for recruitment and training of terrorists, Defence Minister A K Antony today asked armed forces to beef up their vigil along land and sea borders with its neighbour in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes.

Intelligence reports point an accusing finger at Pakistan as the base for the terrorists who struck at Mumbai's prime landmarks, Antony told the top brass of the armed forces and the Defence Ministry and asked them to adopt measures and tighten security along the Line of Control (LoC) and international maritime borders to stop infiltration by terrorists.

At a meeting attended by Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh here, the Defence Minister also asked them to be prepared for any possible airborne terror threats in the future.

With India's coastal security already breached by terrorists in Mumbai, Antony warned that a terror strike using rogue air platforms were possible on the lines of the 9/11 attacks in the US.

Calling for greater coordination among all security and intelligence agencies so as to make the intelligence inputs actionable, he also asked them to be prepared to counter the threats from terrorists from air and prevent a repeat of World Trade Centre-type attacks carried out by al Qaeda.

The meeting also reviewed the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan in the wake of reports that its army was on a "high alert" following the Mumbai terror attacks.

The top defence brass discussed plans for beefing up coastal security and hastening acquisition process for systems and platforms, including coastal radars and interceptor boats.

Of particular concern expressed at the meeting was the intelligence warning that airports around the country could be targets of terrorists, forcing the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to issue a red alert to secure all important airports, sources added.

Though the intelligence agencies issue regular warnings just before important dates such as the Ayodhya complex demolition anniversary on December 6 and Republic Day on January 26, Antony asked the forces, particularly the Air Force, to be more vigilant to prevent any such threat from the air.