Union Home Minister Amit Shah convened a meeting on Monday with the nation’s top security and intelligence officials. He emphasized the need for stringent measures to address infiltration issues. Discussions included strategies for detecting and deporting illegal immigrants, as well as developing a policy framework to combat cybercrime and counter proxy warfare orchestrated by Pakistan.
Shah also asked the officers to use the “trial in absentia” option for fugitives hiding in foreign jurisdictions and to implement the recently formed national counter-terrorism policy. “On the first day of the conference, discussions focused on critical aspects of national security, including response to counter-terrorism challenges, fusion, analysis and operationalisation of intelligence through the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), vision document on narcotics control, detection and deportation of illegal migrants, and a policy framework to combat cyber-crime and proxy warfare by Pakistan,” the MHA said in a statement at the end of the first day of the conference. “For effective tackling of terrorism and radicalisation, Shah emphasised on training for implementation of MHA’s Prahaar scheme, expediting trial by bringing back fugitives and using trial in absentia provisions and undertaking comprehensive and integrated approach while investigating UAPA [Unlawful Activities Prevention Act] cases,” the MHA said. Shah further “directed all the agencies to take strict measures against infiltration,” MHA said on Monday. The home minister also directed the agencies and police that an AI-based analysis of information available on MAC (multi-agency centre) platforms should be done to create SOPs (standard operating procedures) to counter various national security challenges,” according to the ministry. The second day of the conference, the MHA said, “will focus on the threat landscape from sub-aerial systems and formulating countermeasures, securing the blue economy, information warfare and its implications on national security and the need for a bio-security framework”.
