Greater vigilance in light of India, Pakistan terrorist attacks

PUBLIC Security Minister Ananda Wijepala has claimed that there is no security threat to Sri Lanka despite the two terrorist attacks in India and Pakistan this week saying the country’s security remains stable due to the active presence and vigilance of its intelligence agencies.

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At least 13 people were killed and number of others injured due to an explosion in the busy red Fort area of Old Delhi, India on Monday while at least 12 people were killed in a suicide blast in Islamabad, Pakistan in a terrorist attack on Tuesday. Though Minister Wijepala sounds super confident that Sri Lanka is secure from such attacks, being cautiously optimistic may be a better idea than being complacent.

One reason to be cautious is that Indian media reports this week suggested that the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate which is linked to the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008 is colluding with the remnants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to move drugs through South India. The issue was flagged recently by intelligence agencies —with intercepts suggesting that the Mumbai-based crime group was in touch with former LTTE members. The two have longstanding ties and remain engaged with common networks for various illegal activities, Indian media reported.